This is a huge problem for Samsung. Individual recalls don't usually damage companies permanently; people understand that sometimes shit happens, and they quickly forget about it. But two in a row, when the replacements were supposed to be safe, is the kind of thing that etches itself much more deeply into public consciousness. Popular culture is now going to be associating "Samsung phone" with "time bomb" for a long time to come.
Samsung really needs to cut bait here, accept and admit fully that they made a major engineering mistake, come clean, and forcibly recall ALL the devices, before there is a major disaster.<p>The time for serious, adult action was several weeks ago. From here on out, they deserve what they get.
Interesting he's only been using wireless chargers. I used a Tylt wireless charger for a couple of Nexus 7s and both tablets now have a warped back due to overheating via prolonged charging.<p>Very curious if the fire was specifically caused by wireless charging.
For those interested in understanding batteries at a more technical level check out this link:<p><a href="http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/" rel="nofollow">http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/</a><p><a href="http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/bu_304b_making_lithium_ion_safe" rel="nofollow">http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/bu_304b_making_li...</a>
This entire episode seems hard to believe. How could Sammy fail so hard after so many years of industry knowledge? What corners did they cut?<p>Is it just unbalanced reporting or possibly sabotage? Seriously don't believe they got wrong what everyone else seems to have dodged.
Does anyone else think like me this might be a one time failure that is caused by the replacement phone being dropped or mishandled? Or, perhaps, a setup by the competition?<p>Unless I see statistical evidence that replacement Note 7 is catching on fire (random, different circumstances), then I do not see a reason to believe Note 7 replacement is b0rked.<p>Unfortunately, most people do not reason like that. Samsung's reputation will suffer, even after this single "Replacement Note 7 on fire" incident.
When we flew with Lufthansa a few weeks ago they expressly forbade the use of the Galaxy Note 7. I have never heard something like that - its a real problem for Samsung.
Why the heck would the article end with the information that the owner has replaced it with iPhone 7. When did the verge start"native" advertising?
What percentage of Galaxy Note 7 owners know they have a Galaxy Note 7?<p>I imagine some break down is:
I have an Android phone.
I have a Samsung phone.
I have a Samsung Galaxy.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note.<p>But Samsung Galaxy Note 7, specifically? I'm guessing at best 50% might know that.
> Green’s colleague went back onto the plane to retrieve some personal belongings and said that the phone had burned through the carpet and scorched the subfloor of the plane.<p>I'm surprised this airline still doesn't have Planegard or something similar on board their aircraft. Burning/exploding devices are going to happen often enough that this should be a necessity.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU4ALLsedj0" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU4ALLsedj0</a>
What a mess. I wouldn't want to be in Samsung quality control right now.<p>In what has to be the nerdiest humor I've ever come up with, I suggested to some astronomer friends here at NASA that this Samsung Galaxy line be rebranded the Samsung Seifert.
It's my understanding that all Lithium Ion batteries can fairly easily catch fire if they are not treated somewhat carefully, typically by a circuit that prevents loads that might cause it to heat up.<p>Is it theoretically possible that malware could be designed that would cause a Lithium Ion powered smart phone's battery to catch fire? I'm thinking it would be more of a low-level firmware update where a programmable logic device was used as part of the battery protection circuit.<p>Thoughts?
Some of the datacenters I visit have signs on them forbidding people from having Samsung Note 7s on the floor.<p>"Keep them in your car," one of the signs said. Hmmm, maybe storing them near many liters of gasoline isn't the best idea . . .
I recently flew to Munich/Prague with Air Canada and Lufthansa - the flight attendants said to both not charge a Samsung Note 7 and that they require them to actually also be turned off.
These phones should be returned immediately by the company before someone inadvertently is dead because think of the senario where someone is driving with this phone in the
drivers pocket & catches fire........ all OK if the car isn't doing 70 along a motorway otherwise - danger of a collision.... it has happened in the past re wasps & bees distracting the drivers attention which is a very serious matter. Any spontaneous combustion of anything must be resolved forthwith. So Are these phones being recalled ?
I got a flight across Greece a week or so back. It's the first time a named device was singled out as "do not turn on, do not attempt to charge, please identify yourself to cabin staff"-type stuff since the 1990s when there was a bunch of - I think, Gateway - laptops that were known to catch fire, and they were regularly not allowed on flights.<p>The fact this is a replacement means the product has a major engineering flaw, and is likely to end up meaning the product is scrapped completely.<p>This could be the end of Samsung. They need to get on this and shut it down within a few days. Good luck to them.
Boarding an airplane they mention to turn off the Samsung Note 7 for the entire time on board.<p>Samsung will have to release a Note 8 soon. Note 7 users will have a hard time even in future and it's bad for Samsung's brands.
I'm not sure why everyone is caught up with the competition between Apple and Samsung when the Blu R1-HD sells for $59. Most people I know would be indifferent between the Blu R1-HD and a higher end phone (considering performance, battery life, form factor, build quality, camera and screen quality).
It seems to be that Samsung is getting a lot of extra scrutiny based on their recall and the news is exploiting this. Phone batteries have been known to overheat and explode for years now and it is in no way brand specific. I think the way Samsung handled the whole situation was above and beyond how other companies may have responded. They identified an issue, and replaced everything.<p>I am not saying that Samsung could not have made another mistake, but I think it is unreasonable to try and link every single battery issue and explosion under the Samsung brand as something that is a precursor to another giant issue.<p>This recently happened with an iphone on a plane:
<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/apple-faa-investigating-after-iphone-catches-fire-mid-flight-n543516" rel="nofollow">http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/apple-faa-investigatin...</a>
I was on a flight recently and the lady next to me had a large Samsung phone on which she was constantly playing games, etc. and I was very worried.<p>I was also afraid of questioning if it was a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 because the attendant made an announcement saying people should turn it off and she didn't. Next time I'm not going to be afraid. Can't imagine the consequence if it caught fire at 30,000 feet.
Why are we allowing these on airplanes?! Are we waiting for someone to leave one of these devices in their checked luggage so it can start a fire that downs a commercial airliner before banning them?!
Well Samsung, that's what you get for using non-replaceable batteries.<p>I hope that this desaster forces either phone vendors or regulatory agencies to mandate replaceable batteries. The EU got through with mandating micro-USB, after all...