Samsung to release update to prevent unreturned Note 7s from charging beyond 60%

Since issuing the recall of all Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices, a spokesperson for the company in the US says almost 85 percent of recalled Note7 units have been replaced through the Note7 Refund and Exchange Program there and that most of them opted to get another Samsung device. But there are still some users holding on to their Note7 units. What Samsung plans to do is to release a software update that will “limit the phone’s ability to charge beyond 60 percent.” This update is expected to drop in the next few days. Alongside that, a pop-up reminder to return the device will show up every time the screen is turned on or the device is powered on or charged. In New Zealand, Samsung has cut off the cellular service to the phone.

Source: TechCrunch

Analyst: Apple's iPhone captures 103.6 % of smartphone profits in wake of Samsung Note fiasco

Analysts at BMO Capital Markets estimate that Apple captured 103.6 % of total smartphone industry profits in the wake of Samsung's monumental product recall for its faulty and now discontinued Galaxy Note 7 flagship. Samsung's profits are at 0.9%. BMO says that Apple also took more than 100 % of profits because a majority of vendores (i.e. LG, HTC) recorded losses on theri smartphone divisions this third quarter.

Samsung tried to steal the thunder from Apple's iPhone 7, they rushed their product to market and even bumped up the name to Note 7 (foregoing the Note 6). This backfired completely when Note 7 devices started exploding and causing fires. This propelled Samsung's brand into notoriety to the extent that no Note 7's were allowed on any airlines and the company recalled the product to the tune of $2 billion loss.

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‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ rumoured to be ditching the iconic title crawl

While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is completely immersed in the Star Wars world, it seems the film wants to set itself apart from its predecessors. According to Star Wars News Net, an anonymous source claims the new film will have an entirely new opening crawl. They claim it’ll open “in a way ‘different than the classic Star Wars films.’” While we don’t exactly know what that means, we don’t have to wait too long as it debuts in Canada on December 16.

Source: iDigitalTimes

Huawei outs Mate 9 with special edition Porsche Design version

Huawei is refreshing its Mate line of devices with the release of the new Mate 9. The phone, which just launched in Germany, features a massive 5.9-inch Full HD display and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat skinned by EMUI 5.0. It’s powered by a Kirin 960 octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage with microSD expansion, fingerprint reader, dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, and 4,000mAh battery. Just like the P9 and P9 Plus, the Mate 9 carries dual rear-facing Leica-branded cameras. One is a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and another is a 12-megapixel RGB sensor with f/2.2 with optical image stabilization. Its front-facing camera has an 8-megapixel sensor. The phablet will be coming to China and Europe first and retails for €699 (or roughly CA$1,030). There is no word yet if it’ll be coming this way but if it does, it makes for a compelling replacement for spurned Samsung Galaxy Note7 users.

A limited edition Porsche Design version, which retails for €1,395 (or around CA$2,070), was also unveiled. This version is smaller with a 5.5-inch 2K AMOLED display, same processor and OS, 256GB internal storage, 6GB of RAM, same camera setup, and battery capacity. Both phones also have USB Type-C port.

Source: Droid Life