A 22-year-old oil field worker worker set what must be a world record for a cell phone bill. Piotr Staniaszek, who usually pays less than $150 a month for his phone, saw his November bill clock in at $59,000. When he called to complain, his carrier said the number was incorrect. In fact, his bill was going to be $83,000. This wasn't a clerical mix-up, though. Staniaszek used his phone to download high-res movies to his computers, and since he's charged for data usage, the enormous files pushed his bill into the stratosphere. In this case, it actually would have been cheaper to get an iPhone.
He has since negotiated with his carrier, and brought the bill down to $3,195. Let's hope those were some good movies.—Gregory Mone
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


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"It would have been cheaper to get an iPhone" - I guess you're referring to the unlimited data plan that at&t has for iPhones. But iPhones don't have a wireless modem function, so he couldn't download movies to his laptop that way. Also, that data plan doesn't apply in Canada.
The final reduced charge was equivalent to the carrier's max data download package. Additionally, I've read he's decided to fight the reduced $3,195 charge as well.