I have a Samsung SGH-A707 cell phone. One of the free ones from AT&T/Cingular for signing a contract.
It is a piece of junk and I can’t recommend it. But that is neither here nor there. What is strange is the message I sometimes get on the phone.
It’s Halloween and the message is spooky. What happens is the phone gives one short vibration and then the words “Time To Die” flash on the screen.
Then the phone dies. It usually revivifies itself. It is dead yet not dead. It is an undead phone.
I have Googled this, but haven’t seen anybody else reporting it.
Could be one of the software designers was a Bladerunner fan.
Or it could be that my phone is possessed.
Zombieware.
My friend Squirrel is going to a Halloween party dressed as Obacula. Is that germane to the thread?
i vote for possessed.
Briggs:
1. You could have been ‘blue jacked’ This is when someone sits near you on a train and sends some sort of virus via blue tooth. (it doesn’t need to happen on a train)
2. It could be an easter egg in the software (not very professional for a branded product, so probably not) and the message sounds a bit ‘nasty’ to be mainstream…Samsung would send a pumpkin or do something like google.
3. you could have received a virus in a text or picture message.
4. your phone is possessed.
Mine is a Samsung SGH-U600 and it’s the best I’ve ever had. The samsung screens are the clearest (and it’s pink)
Mike,
don’t mention the squirrels!
I blame it on global warming.
“I just couldn’t take the noise any more,” said Samsung SGH-A707.
Two things:
1. I literally laughed out loud reading this. I don’t know why, but an angsty cell phone is a funny thought. Perhaps you bought the Samsung SGH-A707, Emo edition?
2. Part of me finds it hard to believe it’s a deliberate message that the programmers put in place. For one, I did some work at LG in Busan, Korea, and they were completely humorless people. I suppose eating too much kimchi will do that to someone. Anyway, LG isn’t Samsung, but I suspect they have similar cultures. Besides that, I’d be shocked to hear that a Korean phone had an English-language Easter Egg.
Then again, it could have been added Stateside by the American engineers. They are probably more likely to have done something like that. I don’t get how only YOUR phone does it, though. Ever piss off an engineering student?
I’m skeptical of bluejacking and bluesnarfing in this case, though. Bluejacking usually results in nothing more than a silly text or image being sent to you. Bluesnarfing is a bit more malicious, but unless you always have Bluetooth on, you probably aren’t in too much danger. It’s possible some sort of “Bluesomething” was done, but I haven’t seen that kind of thing done yet.
All,
This really happens. It could be Bluetooth problem, but I’ve never turned it on. Bluetooth, I mean.
Matt,
Well, then you can completely rule out any sort of bluejacking or bluesnarfing. Bluetooth can’t be “hacked” if the recipient’s side isn’t turned on.
I think we have a case of strange behavior on the part of the localization crew.
I think you have a very weird but sneaky friend playing tricks. But, otoh, that may have no bearing on your cell messages, either.
My Verizon junker enjoys receiving “new” voice mails at truly odd hours that are actual “resends” of older messages delivered [and deleted] days and even weeks earlier. Causes all kinds of turmoil sometimes. Maybe there is an electronic ghost out there.