Tag: apocalypse

You can never be too prepared. Whether you’re being chased by brain sucking zombies, hunted down by ruthless killer robots, or — more likely — the victim of an earthquake or other natural disaster. There’s only one phone you really need, and that’s the MOTOFONE F3. Forget your smartphone and its fancy pants features, forget the internet — when the apocalypse strikes your survival might depend on a durable handset with great battery life and just the basics, which is exactly what the MOTOFONE F3 delivers. Introduced in 2006 for developing markets, it makes and takes calls, sends and receives text messages, beeps and vibrates, stores and recalls your most important contacts, and includes an alarm clock — that’s it.

Of course, these specs describe almost every simple phone launched since SMS was added to the GSM standard. What makes the MOTOFONE F3 unique is that it uses a segmented e-paper display which sips power and remains legible in both direct sunlight and dark back alleys, along with dual antennae for superior radio performance. Battery life is absolutely incredible, with over 2 weeks in standby and several months powered off. Motorola also designed the handset to be light (68g), thin (9mm) and strong — it’s resistant to shock, dust and moisture, with a sealed keypad and speaker (which is extremely loud). The best part? You can pick one up online, unlocked, for as little as $25.

Check out our gallery below, and whatever you do, don’t be like our protagonist in the zombie apocalypse video after the break — don’t leave your SIM at home.

Psst… yeah, we know this phone’s ancient, but every now and then we like to reach back and have a little fun. And, you know, escape a looming zombie horde.

Gallery: MOTOFONE F3

Continue reading MOTOFONE F3, the zombie apocalypse survival phone (video)

MOTOFONE F3, the zombie apocalypse survival phone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an acknowledgement of the internet’s overwhelming influence on the triviality we sometimes refer to as “real life,” the Oxford English Dictionary doyens have decided to add a few of the web’s favorite pronouncements to their lexicon. Among them are the standouts OMG, LOL and FYI, joining their compatriots IMHO and BFF among the proud number of officially sanctioned initialisms (abbreviations contracted to the initials of their words) used in the English language. Shockingly enough, the expression OMG has had its history tracked all the way back to 1917, while LOL used to mean “little old lady” back in the ’60s, and FYI first showed up in corporate lingo in 1941. Not only that, but the heart symbol — not the <3 emoticon, the actual
♥ graphic -- has also made it in. Just so long as Beliebers and fanpires are kept out, there's still hope for the future. A tiny, twinkling ember of a hope.

OMG, FYI, and LOL enter Oxford English Dictionary, foreshadow the apocalypse originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Best Science of the Year2010 was a great year for Science. NASA’s space plane (and the Dolly lineage) were resurrected while a secret laboratory Neturino observatory was built under the South Pole. Check out our best science stories of the year!

The Best Science of the Year1. The Real Story Behind NASA’s Resurrected Space Plane
Why did NASA quietly move two long-grounded X-34 space planes for inspection? Did they want to see if they could fly? Were they eyeing a return to space via reusable, airplane-style vehicles? Here’s what they were doing and why.


The Best Science of the Year2. This $271 Million Telescope Is Buried Under the South Pole
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, built over a decade at a cost of $271 million, is buried under the South Pole… and longer than the world’s tallest skyscrapers combined.


The Best Science of the Year3. NASA Engineers Propose Combining a Rail Gun and a Scramjet to Fire Spacecraft Into Orbit
NASA has been working on creating a new, cheaper method to launch spacecrafts. Their latest proposal involves train tracks, a rail gun and a scramjet. Here’s what they’re trying to do.


The Best Science of the Year4. A Guide to Bad Space Science In Movies
Sorry to ruin your enjoyment of Mission to Mars-or, fine, Aliens and Star Wars-but it joins a host of sci-fi movies that just can’t quite get their space science right. Here are the most common offenses and offenders.


The Best Science of the Year5. Study: Daily Aspirin Can Reduce Your Chances of Dying From Cancer Up to 60%
Researchers have found a drug that’s unexpectedly effective at reducing one’s chances of dying from many common forms of cancer, in some cases lessening fatalities up to 60%. It’s a small, long term daily dose of aspirin.


The Best Science of the Year6. Dolly the Sheep Is Alive, Alive, Alive, Alive!
In 1996, Dolly the sheep made headlines for being the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. She was put down in 2002. But as it turns out, Dolly’s still alive today. A scientist secretly made four copies years ago.


The Best Science of the Year7. The Most Unforgettable Way To Learn About Neutrino Physics
It looks like a scene from some sci-fi epic. But for a week in October, anyone visiting the Manchester Science Festival was able to don a white tyvek suit and paddle through this wormhole of spectacular golden balloons. For science!


The Best Science of the Year8. This Is How Good the Next Mars Rover’s Camera Is
The metal balls in this image are only 2 millimeters in diameter (0.078 inches). The image, which covers an area about 0.5-inch long and is illuminated by four white light-emitting diodes, was taken by NASA’s latest and most advanced camera.


The Best Science of the Year9. Humans Can Only Walk In Circles and We Don’t Know Why
Humans can’t walk in straight lines. If there’s no fixed point of reference, we just walk in circles and inevitably get lost. Nobody knows why, but researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics have confirmed it in several experiments.


The Best Science of the Year10. What Are Anticrepuscular Rays?
Perhaps you have seen something similar to this one day, probably when you thought you were hearing a choir of angels and the Apocalypse was about to break loose. They are anticrespuscular rays, and they happen opposite to the Sun.


Been under a rock? See what else happened this year in our Best of 2010 series.

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@gizmodo.com



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