Samsung expected to recall Galaxy Note 7s over battery quality concerns
Samsung seems to be taking the proper cautious approach to quality control standards.
Reports have surfaced indicating that the Galaxy Note 7 launch has been delayed in parts of Europe — Germany in particular — as sales were set to commence this week. The news lands corresponding with multiple reports coming out of Korea that Samsung has plans to issue recalls for phones — anywhere from just some Exynos variants up to all Galaxy Note 7s that have been sold.
High-capacity phone batteries are one of the components that are held to extremely high quality control standards considering how much damage an improperly manufactured or assembled unit can cause. For this reason, it’s in no way surprising that Samsung (or any other manufacturer) would issue at a minimum a halting of sales or quite easily a full recall for any units it deemed to be defective and potentially causing harm.
The safe route is the only route to take when it comes to faulty batteries
A statement given to Yonhap from a “Samsung official” claims that “Products installed with the problematic battery account for less than 0.1 percent of the entire volume sold.” Even if that’s the case, with the volumes that Galaxy phones sell that could be thousands of phones — even before a full global rollout has commenced. On top of that, you can’t always determine how deep in the supply chain the potentially faulty batteries are, or where they were shipped and sold. Android Central has reached out to Samsung for a comment on the situation.
You can guarantee that Samsung will notify you if and when it finds which phones may be in the recall group, whether that’s in the U.S., Asia or the few that have trickled out in Europe. Right now, it’s worth taking the pragmatic point of view realizing that a halt in sales or pre-orders is a good thing for consumers — safety should be the number one goal, especially when it comes to batteries.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
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- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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Xiaomi announces its China-only answer for Android Pay
Xiaomi and China UnionPay have joined together to launch Mi Pay in China, a brand new way to pay via Xiaomi smartphones.
Mi Pay allows users to pay for purchases via smartphone with debit and credit cards from 20 popular banks, folded into the Mi Wallet app. These include Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank among others.
Mi Pay will also support public transportation cards. It isn’t the first to do this, however, as Huawei retains the title of the first smartphone company in the world to support transactions with both bank cards and public transportation cards with its Huawei Pay service. In fact, Huawei Pay already supported Bank Of China from the beginning and now it supports China UnionPay, thus boosting its list of supported banks to 25.
Those with Xiaomi phones can add their cards to their devices in four steps by opening the Mi Wallet app, using the option to add a bank card, adding the card number and other bank details, and verify it all via SMS. The card is then entered in the Mi Wallet for safekeeping and touchless payments in the future. You can add up to eight cards on one device.
Currently, Xiaomi’s Mi 5 is the only device available that supports the payment system, whereas Huawei’s Huawei Pay is supported across several additional devices like the Mate S, Honor V8 (the tri-network version) and Honor 8. Huawei Pay’s transportation card support was actually introduced with the Honor V8 initially, giving it a leg up on Mi Pay in terms of installation length.
It should be noted as well in terms of paying for public transportation that both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay can also be used for paying for public transportation in some cities, such as Guangzhou.
Mi Pay should be a big get for those looking to switch over to mobile payments in China, especially with all the institutions it supports.
Source: Xiaomi
Fiat Chrysler Announces New UConnect Infotainment System With CarPlay Support
Fiat Chrysler today announced the debut of its fourth-generation UConnect infotainment system, which includes support for both CarPlay and Android Auto, reports Fiat Chrysler Authority.
The revamped infotainment system features an updated 8.4-inch touchscreen with faster startup times, improved processing power, and a sharper display. It will be introduced initially in 2017 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger models, bringing CarPlay to those vehicles for the first time.
Fiat Chrysler previously previewed its fourth-generation UConnect infotainment system at CES in January and confirmed it would be released in select Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models in 2016.
For older Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles, Fiat Chrysler introduced a free software update in April that brought Siri Eyes Free support to many properly equipped 2013 to 2015 models. Siri Eyes Free is a precursor to CarPlay, designed to minimize driver distraction by using Siri to allow drivers to interact with an iPhone.
CarPlay was first announced in 2013, but it took several years for vehicle manufacturers to adopt the new system. Since late 2015, CarPlay adoption has picked up and the feature is now available in more than 100 vehicles from dozens of manufacturers.
Apple maintains an official master list of all CarPlay vehicles available in the United States and other countries. It is updated on a regular basis, but may not include new CarPlay vehicles as soon as they are announced.
Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tag: Fiat Chrysler
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