EXPLORER TO MAKE FIRST-EVER VIDEO CALL
FROM THE SUMMIT OF EVEREST
19th March 2013: HTC
and British explorer Daniel Hughes are setting out to achieve an
historic world first this spring. From an amazing 8,848m above sea
level, Hughes will attempt to make the very first
video call from the top of Mt. Everest. At the summit, Hughes plans to
speak live to BBC News using his HTC smartphone and the latest mobile
satellite technology from Inmarsat, in temperatures as low as -35°C. HTC
is one of the lead sponsors for this remarkable
expedition. During his climb, Hughes will also make scaling the world’s
tallest mountain an interactive online experience, inviting his
followers to share the journey through video, pictures and webchats.
Hughes, 32, aims to
generate one million £1 donations for Comic Relief and place the first
Red Nose at the top of Everest. He will begin his journey from base camp
in mid-April and is expected to reach the summit
via the South Col in mid-May. However, from the moment he sets off
from London, his followers will be able to take part in his journey
through an interactive online experience. Through webchats, photos,
video and social media, followers can track his progress
along the notoriously difficult journey, where he will be able to
respond to questions, share insights and provide updates via www.everestmillion.com.
HTC is providing Hughes
with a selection of cutting edge devices to assist and document his
mission, including the powerful new HTC One, featuring an Ultrapixel
camera and 1080p HD video, to capture the climb
in detail. Utilising features such as HTC ZoeTM, long life
battery and high-res photo capability of the phone, he will be able to
capture every emotional step of his ascent. With on-mountain IP
broadband access, followers will be able to share in
the adventure, thanks to Broadband Global Area Network satellite
technology provided by Inmarsat, the world’s leading provider of global
mobile satellite communications.
The story behind the
climb began with a 2010 trip to Bolivia, in which Hughes witnessed
extreme poverty in the silver-mining region of Potosà and was inspired
to take action to help others. Deciding to support
Comic Relief because of their work with poor and vulnerable people
across the world’s poorest countries as well as right here in the UK,
Hughes decided to challenge himself to a feat never before attempted –
putting a Red Nose at the top of Everest.
Talking about the
challenge ahead, Hughes said: “The Everest Million campaign is all about
people coming together to do something amazing for Comic Relief and the
projects it supports. Climbing Everest is going
to be exciting and at times scary, but thanks to the amazing technology
from HTC and Inmarsat I can make this a fully interactive experience.
You’ll be able to join me every step of the way, from live tracking and
web-chats to answering your questions anywhere
on the mountain.”
Hughes’ intense training for the trip has taken place over a number of months and has been documented in a series of
YouTube
videos. To date, preparation has included climbing the mighty Mt.
McKinley in the USA, the coldest mountain on Earth, as well as
Aconcagua,
the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.
Phil Blair, HTC Head of
UK & Ireland, added: “Daniel is taking on an incredibly dangerous
challenge in order to raise money for others. We couldn’t be prouder of
him, or more excited to be involved and offering
our support. It’s been amazing watching his preparation for the trip
and I’d urge people to check out some of the videos on You Tube. We’re
also delighted to be working alongside Inmarsat to enable the public to
follow his progress along the way.
“As you can imagine,
this will be one of the toughest tests conceivable for our handsets.
They will have to cope with below-freezing temperatures, changes in
atmospheric pressure and more, however we’re sure they
can and will step up to the challenge. We’ll be watching with baited
breath as he reaches the summit!”
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