Breaking: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recalled due to exploding batteries

Samsung has finally opted to recall all the Galaxy Note 7 units sold in Canada and nine other countries due to reports of potentially dangerous exploding batteries that could harm users. Various reports and in the US and Korea say the $1060.00 flagship device can explode while charging.

“To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7,” Samsung spokespersons revealed. 

Samsung has reportedly sold 2.5 million Note 7 devices worldwide which will all need to be sent back. Samsung said it had been difficult to work out which phones were affected among the 2.5 million Note 7s sold. The company plans to swap exisiting units with new ones cleared for use. Good to see Samsung doing the the right thing before any customers get hurt.

"There was a tiny problem in the manufacturing process, so it was very difficult to figure out,'' the president of Samsung's mobile business Koh Dong-jin told reporters. The Galaxy Note 7 is considered the company's true flagship in terms of design and features and received generally good reviews. The phone has been launched in 10 countries, Samsung indicates that different companies supplying the batteries.

Source: Samsung, BBC.com

Samsung halts shipment of Galaxy Note7 amid supposed safety issues

If you’ve been following the latest news on Samsung, you might have heard of claims regarding the Galaxy Note7 exploding or catching fire while being charged. While Samsung won’t confirm the reports, the South Korean tech company has stopped shipments in its home country for additional testing. Samsung’s spokesman Ki-yung Nam didn’t specify if the delay applied outside of South Korea and why they were stopping shipments.

But this announcement ramped up rumours about the issues plaguing Samsung’s latest flagship. “There’s no clear identified cause for the accidents yet,” S.R. Kwon, an analyst at Dongbu Securities, told the Wall Street Journal. “Even if there is a problem with the smartphone batteries, we don’t know if the battery was supplied by Samsung SDI.” There are multiple suppliers for the Galaxy Note7’s battery but Samsung won’t name them. There are already rumours floating around that Samsung might be considering a global recall of the Galaxy Note7 to deal with this issue.

DJI lessens smartphone video camera shakes with Osmo Mobile

Want to take less shaky smartphone videos? DJI outs its latest handheld 3-axis stabilizer gimbal for smartphones. The Osmo Mobile works similar to the gimbal used by the brand’s drones but it lacks a built-in camera. Instead it relies on the camera of your smartphones. It makes use of the same stabilizer technology found in DJI’s Phantom 4 drone.

If you use it with the DJI software, the stabilizer is capable of locking onto a person’s face to take great selfies even when the subject and camera are moving. The software also helps you take time lapse videos, panoramic, and long-exposure shots without using a tripod. The DJI Osmo Mobile retails for US$300 (approx. CA$390) and will be coming out in two weeks.

Source: TechCrunch

Acer introduces Chromebook with 13-inch touchscreen display

Acer outs the biggest Chromebook yet. The new Chromebook R13 revealed at IFA in Berlin sports a 13.3-inch touch-based 1080p IPS display. The Chromebooks of past have all played in the 10- to 11-inch space so it’s refreshing to see a bigger model. This laptop is convertible into a tablet with 10-point touch capabilities and allows for tapping, swiping, and pinch-to-zoom gestures. While Chrome OS isn’t particularly touch-friendly, the feature might come in handy when Android apps come to Chromebooks soon.

Other specs for the R13 include USB Type-C port, USB 3.0, HDMI out, Bluetooth 4.0 support, and 720p webcam. It comes with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB storage and 4GB of RAM. Battery life is touted at 12 hours. The R13 will be available in October with starting price at US$400 (roughly CA$520).

Source: Gizmodo