Samsung announces final conclusions regarding the Galaxy Note 7 battery issues

Samsung today finally announced the definitive conclusions of its investigation into the battery failures that led to the double-recall of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. In order to reach a final conclusion, Samsung conducted thorough tests itself, in addition to commissioning three independent industry groups to look at the issue.

Samsung says that, for the past several months, it investigated all aspects of the Galaxy Note 7, including hardware, software, assembly processes, and so on. About 700 Samsung engineers tested no less than 200,000 Note 7 devices and 30,000 batteries, being able to replicate the incidents that consumers reported last year - overheating batteries and "thermal failures."

 
According to Samsung, the Galaxy Note 7 itself (including its design, hardware, and software) did not contribute to the failure of batteries. Thus, this was a battery-only issue.

The Note 7 was released with batteries manufactured by either Samsung SDI (Manufacturer A in the slideshow below), or a Hong Kong based company called Amperex Technology (Manufacturer B). As recently assumed, Samsung found that both types of batteries were prone to failure.
We're not going to get too technical about this, but both Note 7 batteries could overheat and catch fire due to a combination of manufacturing and design flaws. I n particular, Samsung SDI-made batteries could have failed and short-circuited due to deformations at the upper corners, and thin internal separators, while the problem with Amperex-made batteries lied in missing (or misalignment of) insulation tape and (again) thin internal separators. If you visit the first source link below, you'll find three PDFs at the end of Samsung's press release - you can check out technical details there.
Samsung re-confirmed that, to date, 96% of "about 3 million" Galaxy Note 7 units sold and activated around the world have been recalled.

In order to enhance the security of its future products, Samsung has taken proper measures, including protocols like "m ulti-layer safety measures" and an "8-Point Battery Safety Check." You can find out more about that in the video embedded below. Samsung also said that it "formed a Battery Advisory Group of external advisers, academic and research experts to ensure it maintains a clear and objective perspective on battery safety and innovation." Well, we do hope that all smartphones, made by Samsung or any other company, will be safe to use from now on.

FIT

Samsung shares conclusions related to the Galaxy Note 7 battery issues

Technolohy News - Samsung Galaxy S8 features would be like nothing you’ve ever seen on an iPhone

After all the evidence that surfaced during trials in recent years, there’s pretty much no way to rationally argue against the fact that Samsung got its start in the smartphone business by copying Apple. The company even created a 132-page guide to copying the iPhone pixel by pixel so that its engineers could rework Samsung’s Android build to be more like iOS. That stigma has stuck with Samsung more than it should in some cases, though, and there’s precious little doubt that the company travels its own path much more now than it has in the past.

Technolohy News - Galaxy S8 features would be like nothing you’ve ever seen on an iPhone

Over the years, Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones have gained a wide range of features that are unique to Samsung phones. And if this latest rumor about the upcoming Galaxy S8 pans out, Samsung is getting ready to debut some exciting new functionality that you might never see on an iPhone.

Relates Articles: Expects from International Consumer Electronics Show

                           Samsung Not Giving Up: Developing S8, New Note

                           Samsung Galaxy S8 Tipped to Sport Pressure-Sensitive Display

We’ve seen plenty of rumors surrounding Samsung’s upcoming new flagship smartphones for the first half of 2017. In fact, just this morning we saw a leak the shows off just how powerful and energy-efficient the new handsets will be. But Steve Litchfield of All About Windows Phone got his hands on possible evidence of a very intriguing new feature that may be coming to Samsung’s Galaxy S8, and this is definitely the first we’ve heard of it.

Why is a Galaxy S8 rumor originating on a Windows blog? Because the new feature in question mirrors something that Microsoft added to Windows recently — a nifty (in theory) feature called Continuum that allows a Windows phone to connect to a dock and power a desktop experience.

Why is Continuum only nifty in theory? Because it still doesn’t get around the fact that no one wants a Windows experience on their phone. Toss Android into the mix, however, and you might be onto something here.

Technolohy News - Desktop Experience- Galaxy S8 features would be like nothing you’ve ever seen on an iPhone

The slide above was published by All About Windows Phone on Monday, and it was reportedly taken from an internal Samsung presentation that focuses on the upcoming Galaxy S8. As you can plainly see, the slide shows a solution that would allow the Galaxy S8 to connect to a monitor, keyboard and mouse to power a desktop experience of sorts.

A solution like this would allow Galaxy S8 owners to carry a single device that would power both mobile and desktop computing experiences, but they wouldn’t have to live without all of the mobile apps they want, as is the case with devices like the Windows-powered HP Elite x3.

If this rumor pans out, Samsung may have a very compelling pair of new Galaxy S phones in store for us in the coming months.

Technology News - Samsung Not Giving Up: Developing S8, New Note

It is no secret that the affair of the flammable Note 7 caused enormous damage to Samsung. Besides the enormous financial damage, it also seriously affected the image of the world’s large smartphone manufacturer in general, and especially its Note brand. It is no surprise that many people believed that Samsung would have to abandon the series, or at least its name, by issuing its phablet under a new name.

A new and reliable report, however, states that Samsung may have completely different plans.

Note Users: You Should (Probably) Wait

Samsung Galaxy S8 models are indeed skipping SM-G94* model numbers, will ship as SM-G950 & SM-G955. Know what else is in the works? SM-N950. -- Evan Blass (@evleaks) November 9, 2016

The report is by well-known leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks), who is known for his accurate leaks. Blass’s leaks usually come from many sources in the supply and production chain of various manufacturers. He wrote in his Twitter account that Samsung was currently developing two models of the Galaxy S8 with the model numbers SM-G950 and SM-G955 (this refers to the ordinary S8 and the larger S8 Edge). At the end of the tweet, however, Blass added, “Do you know what else Samsung is working on? SM-N950.” This model number refers to a Note 8, which Blass says is already in development.

The Note 7 [pictured above] model number was SM-N930. Samsung, however, chose to skip the digit 4 in its Note 8 model number, because this digit is associated with bad luck in South Korea and East Asia, like the number 13 in other cultures. That is called reducing risk.

Another tweet by Blass confirmed that both of the two new Galaxy S8 devices would have curved convex screens. This contrasts with the current situation, in which there is both an ordinary version of the device and a larger Edge version with a curved screen. If this is the case, the devices may receive a slightly different name, perhaps even Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus, as is the case with Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Pixel.

Both Samsung Galaxy S8 models will reportedly have an edge display https://t.co/o2LZJw6Mzx pic.twitter.com/qsd6YFuYEd -- Evan Blass (@evleaks) November 9, 2016

Global Launch for the S3 Watch

Smartphones, however, are not the only thing being concocted in Samsung’s kitchen. Samsung unveiled the Gear S3, its new smart watch, two months ago. The watch has already been launched in South Korea. Samsung has now announced, however, that the watch will be launched this Friday in a number of markets, including Australia, Dubai, France, Germany, Singapore, the UK, and the US.

The new watch has been upgraded slightly from the successful S2. An array of new features has been added, such as a loudspeaker, LTE connectivity, and payments support. The watch will come in two models with different designs and specs. The Frontier model will have a black matte finish and LTE connectivity. Together with the loudspeaker, you can actually carry your watch around and leave your smartphone at home. The watch can also receive alerts and send messages independently of your cellular device. The other model, the Classic, with a metallic finish, but without LTE, can communicate with the world only through your smartphone. Both models will be based on Tizen OS, Samsung’s operating system, instead of on Google’s Android Wear.

Technology News - Samsung is looking for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners to test Android 7.0 on their phones

It’s not a full on Nougat rollout, but it’s something. For a second year in a row, Samsung will be offering a select group of users early access to the latest version of Android through its Galaxy Beta Program.

Currently limited to Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners (no Note 7 for obvious reasons) in the US, UK, and Korea, the deal is first-come, first served, according to the company’s site, aimed at testing the stability of Android 7.0 on its flagship devices. The program will be arriving in China at some point in the near future, as well.

Participants will be asked to report bugs and other issues to help the company bring things up to speed for next year’s public roll out. Sadly, if you got your hands on the limited edition Olympics or Batman version of the phone, you can’t participate. Ditto for users in the UK who have devices locked by their carrier.

There’s a bunch more fine print on Samsung’s page, including the fact that “unexpected errors may occur,” because, well, that’s kind of the whole point of a beta program

“Anti-smartphone” Light Phone runs into delays

For people who feel that we are a little bit too connected these days, Kickstarter project Light Phone was promising a respite. It was scheduled to ship in May this year, but has seen a number of setbacks. This week, the company issued a statement. It says that while it missed its goal, it hopes to start shipping late this month.

Light Phone’s goal was to be the opposite of a smartphone. Including a 2G SIM card and the ability to take and make calls only, the phone aimed to have three weeks worth of battery life on a single charge.

Tiny, pretty, and with a three-week battery life. What’s not to love?

The company suggests “A few limitations in our initial user experience goals due to some iOS restrictions” is the reason the device is shipping late, but the company has received some criticism for how it has handled its Kickstarter campaign, too. It hasn’t posted any public updates since August last year, instead opting to post updates exclusively to its campaign backers. Not a big problem for backers, of course, but a bit iffy to those of us who were following the company’s progress from the sidelines.

The company came under fire for only offering a dated cell technology for the telephony side of the phone, suggesting that relying on 2G may have been a poor solution. In some countries, the 2G network is scheduled to be switched off soon. “Australian 2G is being switched off on 1st December 2016,” one backer writes, referring to the first round of switch-flicking during a 9-month shutdown process of 2G networks down under. The Light Phone company, in turn, offered to refund backers in countries where the phones would no longer be usable.

When the Light Phone was first announced about 18 months ago, it seemed like a novel and interesting idea. At $100 per device, it’s undoubtedly cool, but the device is also entering a spectacularly competitive space. You can pick up a no-name quad-band phone for a seventh of the price, and most carriers will let you turn off SMS functionality altogether, if you feel passionate about only receiving phone calls. That raises the question; who is the Light Phone actually for?

I look forward to trying the Light Phone out and learning what it feels like to live a life without fending off the barrage of social media notifications. Realistically, however, if this was a problem someone was passionate about solving, they’d have found a way of turning off the notifications or get a no-features burner phone already.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the design and the general concept, but it can’t be denied that creating a phone is a complicated process. On top of that, the types of radios used in mobile phones is heavily regulated throughout the world. The icing on the “hmm, is this gonna work” cookie: in telecoms R&D and manufacturing, a $400k budget (the amount the company raised from Kickstarter) to bring a product to market is an incredibly daunting prospect.

Either way, Light Phone is an incredibly inspiring company; it takes some serious focus and dedication to bring a complex product in this space from cocktail napkin to brick-and-mortar shops. The company is bringing a fresh pair of eyes to the humble mobile phone, and I’ll be cheering them on from the sidelines.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Tipped to Sport Pressure-Sensitive Display

Samsung may be the next handset manufacturer to go for pressure-sensitive display technology for its next flagship, if a new report citing multiple industry sources is to be believed. Notably, Samsung's pressure-sensitive display technology is expected to work same as Apple's 3D Touch seen on iPhones.

The technology will be able to distinguish between a light tap and deep press, enabling access to more functions just by pressing harder. Notably, Samsung won't be the first Android handset vendor to bring pressure-sensitive display technology to its phones as Huawei was the first to unveil the force touch tech. To recall, Huawei's Mate S was the first Android smartphone featuring Force Touch technology.

The report by The Investor cites an official of a Samsung supplier who said, "Samsung is mulling to adopt the force touch technology partially from the S8 but the full adoption will come in one or two years. It is a matter of time before other major Android smartphone makers deploy the technology that will help enhance user interface." The report also suggests that Samsung may utilise its own force touch tech developed by Samsung Display, which also supplies force touch displays to Huawei.

Additionally, Samsung's Senior Executive at component division on condition of anonymity claimed that the South Korean company was working on the force touch tech "for the adoption in the near future."

A recent report claimed that Samsung's Galaxy S8 may launch in two screen size variants - 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch. Prolific phone tipster Evan Blass (@evleaks) claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S8 models will have model numbers SM-G950 and SM-G955 for 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch screen sizes respectively.

Based on preliminary leaks, Samsung Galaxy S8 will sport a 5.5-inch 4K (2160x3840 pixels) Super AMOLED display with impressive pixel density of 806ppi. It is further expected to pack company's own Exynos 8895 SoC coupled with 6GB of RAM. Rumours so far have claimed that Samsung will launch the alleged Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone on the side-lines of MWC 2017 in Barcelona on February 26.

Did You Know Why Are Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 Phones Exploding?

Samsung was forced earlier this week to discontinue its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. For good. The Galaxy Note 7 turned out to be a massive disappointment. The phone intended to fight the iPhone 7 Plus this year was seen as one of the hottest Android devices in town. Unfortunately, it also turned out to come with an unexpected side-effect: the Galaxy Note 7 is a fire hazard. Even after Samsung fixed it.

New manufacturing issues

Samsung has yet to explain what went wrong with its batteries in both the original phones and the replacements. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which worked with Samsung on the US recall, said on September 15th that batteries made by Samsung SDI were faulty. Apparently, they were made slightly too large for the space available in the phone. Installing them would crimp the corner, which could lead to a short circuit, overheating and potentially a fire.

Samsung removed Samsung SDI batteries from its Galaxy Note 7 supply and turned to China’s Amperex Technology. However, Bloomberg reports that even Amperex batteries proved to have a manufacturing problem. Investigators of the latest Galaxy Note 7 incidents believe that a flaw different from the one that caused the original recall is to blame, according to Bloomberg.

The new issue hasn’t been explained, but it looks like it may have crept into the supply chain after Samsung began replacing the faulty phones. Samsung had no choice but to pull the plug. Neither Samsung nor Amperex’s parent company TDK Corp. commented on the matter, Bloomberg says.

More disturbingly, Samsung is apparently leaving its carrier partners in the dark about the problem. Samsung is asking partners to share testing data, but Samsung isn’t reciprocating. Carriers have no idea what to tell customers, one unnamed carrier executive said.

Fast charging

Another theory that tries to explain the numerous Galaxy Note 7 explosions has to do with the fast-charging feature of the battery. According to the Financial Times, the problem comes from tweaks made to the processor to speed up charging.

“If you try to charge the battery too quickly it can make it more volatile. If you push an engine too hard, it will explode. Something had to give. These devices are miracles of technology — how much we can get out of that tiny piece of lithium-ion,” an unnamed source said after supposedly speaking with Samsung executives about the matter.

That beautiful design

The Galaxy Note 7’s looks might actually lead to explosions. Specifically, it’s the symmetrical curvature of the phone, a feature Samsung bragged about, that may have exerted pressure on battery packs and caused the short circuits that eventually led to dangerous fires.

After the first recall, leaked documentation from the Korean consumer protection agency said that Samsung SDI’s batteries were slightly larger than the compartment they were supposed to be placed in. Furthermore, the isolation plates that separate the anode and cathode were too close to the edges. 

One theory states that external pressure could have been applied to those isolation plates during manufacturing. The plates are placed towards the edge of the battery and when the phone is sealed, the battery pack might be subjected to excessive pressure. The images below show SDI battery packs with isolation plates placed too close to the edge.

Boom!!! Samsung to Note 7 owners: Here's an extra $100 for your phone

Samsung really, really wants you to turn in your Galaxy Note 7.

The Korean electronics titan said it will give $100 in credit at "carrier or retail outlets" to customers who turn in their Note 7 for another Samsung phone, starting Thursday afternoon

The offer comes after Samsung and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission once again issued a recall for the Galaxy Note 7 -- including for replacement units. Two days earlier, Samsung confirmed that it had killed off the Note 7 and warned consumers to power down and turn in their phones.

"The Galaxy Note 7 recall has proven to be a real challenge for Samsung. I am very concerned that consumers who exchanged their phones for replacement Galaxy Note 7s are now at risk again," CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said in a statement.

The extra financial incentive serves three purposes: It's a token gesture meant to soften the blow of the second recall for its most loyal customers. It's an incentive to convince stubborn superfans who have opted to take the risk and keep them. It's also a way to keep people using a Samsung device.

The second recall marks the latest chapter in the nightmare saga that is the exploding Galaxy Note 7. Samsung moved quickly to recall the first batch of Note 7 phones, only to encounter incidents in which the supposedly safer replacement phones began to catch fire as well. The company has already warned that the debacle will cost $2.3 billion in lost operating profits, but the bigger damage will be to its brand and credibility.

To date, according to the CPSC, Samsung has received 96 reports of Galaxy Note 7 phones overheating in the US -- 23 more than it had since the original recall on September 15 -- including 13 reports of burns and 47 reports of property damage.

"We appreciate the patience of our consumers, carrier and retail partners for carrying the burden during these challenging times," said Tim Baxter, chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America. "We are committed to doing everything we can to make this right."

Some carriers have already given out a $25 bill credit for switching out their phone for another Samsung device, and customers who took advantage of that offer can get another $75. Customers who opt for a full refund will get $25. Likewise, customers who switch to another brand will only get $25. All of the US carriers are offering customers the choice to swap out the device for an entirely different phone.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 at a splashy event in early August in New York, and the critically lauded handset was set to challenge the iPhone for phone supremacy this holiday-shopping season. Some consumers, however, found that their phones would overheat and even catch fire. The device was banned on planes and trains.

This second recall follows the CPSC's official recall last month, which is said to have involved 1 million of the 2.5 million phones that were manufactured.

Samsung to hobble Galaxy Note 7 charging in US with software

Most Galaxy Note 7 users in the US have returned their devices. For those who haven't, Samsung will soon start limiting the device's charging capabilities.

Samsung on Friday said 85 percent of all recalled Note 7 phones in the US have been replaced through its refund and exchange program, "with the majority of the participants opting to receive another Samsung smartphone." The company didn't immediately provide information about how many phones had been returned around the world.

For the remaining holdouts in the US, Samsung said it will release a software update in the coming days to limit the phone's ability to charge beyond 60 percent. It also will issue a reminder pop-up notification every time a consumer charges, reboots or turns on the screen of their Note 7 device.

"We remain focused on collecting the outstanding Galaxy Note 7 phones in the market," the company said in a statement on its website.

Even though people have been warned to stop using their phones, some super fans have continued to hold on to their Note 7 devices. Along with issuing the charging limitation software in other markets, Samsung has taken more drastic measures to get people to turn in their devices. Earlier Friday, the company said it had teamed up with carriers in New Zealand to cut off access to wireless networks for customers still using their Note 7 devices.

Samsung aims to entice Note 7 owners, and iPhone 7 Plus gets an upgrade

Samsung hasn't yet gone that far in the US or other major markets.

The Note 7, which hit the market in mid-August, was expected to solidify Samsung's lead in the mobile market after a strong showing with its Galaxy S7. The company had just begun to regain its swagger after stumbling the previous year with lackluster products.

Then came the battery problems, which caused some units to overheat and catch fire. Samsung issued a global recall of the popular device in September. But then some replacement units started having the same problem. That caused Samsung to issue a second recall in mid-October and permanently stop production of the device. It's offering Note 7 owners $100 to exchange the device for another Samsung phone.

Samsung has said the Note 7 recall will cost it more than $5 billion over the next few quarters. The company on Friday also issued a recall for 2.8 million washing machines due to injury risk. The two fiascos have raised questions about Samsung's quality and assurance testing and have dealt a blow to its reputation. 

Tricks to Use One WhatsApp Account On Two Phones

Want to use one whatsapp account with two different phones?It will be fun doing this.But don’t try to snoop anyone.One of the downsides of WhatsApp is that it every WhatsApp account is associated with a single phone number making its use limited to one phone at a time. Because the WhatsApp app on your phone periodically checks for an active phone number and if it doesn’t find a match, it will prompt you to re-verify to use it again. Therefore, multi-phone use of the same WhatsApp account on multiple phones usually doesn’t work. But there is a simple workaround.
Even though it is not the most elegant of solutions, it works. And it only needs an active internet connection on the second phone and functions even without a SIM card.

            

Use One WhatsApp Account On Two Different Phones

STEPS TO DO THIS:

1. Open the Web browser on the second phone that you want to also use WhatsApp on and go to web.whatsapp.com.

2. On the mobile browser, it will automatically redirect you to the WhatsApp home page. From the browser options, choose “Request desktop site” (where you find this could vary from browser to browser) and it will then open up the desired Web page with a QR code displayed prominently.

3. On the phone that has WhatsApp installed and running, go to options/settings and choose “WhatsApp Web” (If you are already using WhatsApp Web on any other browser, you will have to log out before proceeding). It will fire up the QR scanner.

4. Scan the QR code displayed on the second phone with the WhatsApp app on the first and it will automatically log in with your account to WhatsApp Web on the second phone. You can now simultaneously use WhatsApp on two phones.

The catch is that you can use this method to use WhatsApp on only one additional device (other than the primary phone on which WhatsApp is installed) and to use on another device, you will have to log out from one.
Also WhatsApp Web isn’t a full-feature replacement for the installed version of WhatsApp. You wouldn’t get notifications and the interface isn’t optimised for mobile use. You might want to switch to landscape to for a fuller view.