Samsung reportedly suspends Galaxy Note 7 production

Latest development follows days of reported battery fires from new Note 7.

Samsung has “temporarily suspended” production of the Galaxy Note 7, according to Korea’s Yonhap News. The outlet cites an unnamed official at one of Samsung’s suppliers.

The halt is in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States and China, the official said on the condition of anonymity.

“This measure includes a Samsung plant in Vietnam that is responsible for global shipments (of the Galaxy Note 7),” the official said.

The latest development comes amid reports that new, replacement models are experiencing battery fires. All four U.S. carriers have now suspended sales of the troubled phone, and in the past few hours additional reports of new Note 7s catching fire in the U.S. have emerged.

Meanwhile Australian carrier Telstra says Samsung has “temporarily paused the supply” of replacement Note 7s following the past few days’ reports, according to The Verge:

Please be advised of some updates to the Samsung Note 7 Global Exchange program.

Samsung has temporarily paused the supply of new Galaxy Note7 smartphones following a reported incident in a replacement phone in the US. Samsung is confident in the replacement Note7 and says they have no reason to believe it’s not safe. We’ll let you know the status of your replacement Note7 as soon as we have more information.

We have contacted impacted customers to advise them of the delay.

We’ll update this article with further developments as they emerge. We’ve reached out to Samsung for comment.

Don’t buy a Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
• Here are all four Note 7 colors
• Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

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GE made an oilfield drone that can sniff out gas leaks

At the opening of GE’s new oil and gas R&D center in Oklahoma, the multi-business company has also presented its new methane-sniffing helicopter drone called “Raven.” GE started working on the project last year, and it proved that the 20-pound machine can indeed do what it was created for during a test run in July: Raven successfully found gas leaking from a couple of oil wells in Arkansas. A lot of companies in other industries already use UAVs for inspections, including Con Edison and Airbus. GE created the Raven specifically to save oil and natural gas firms money and to help them assess all the data gathered from their facilities.

According to the company, the drone can make gas inspections go three times faster. The Environmental Protection Agency requires oil producers to monitor their fields for leaks, you see. And currently, what they do is send workers armed with infrared cameras to walk around their wells. Raven, with its laser-based sensors, can fly over the field for 40 minutes on a single charge and beam back data to an iPad on the ground. Even better, it can tell how bad the leak is, whereas the infrared camera can only detect its presence, not its severity. The drone is also loaded with custom software that allows it to plan its own flight and analyze the data it gathers.

GE will continue working on the project at its R&D Center in Oklahoma and will soon deploy its third Raven for testing. In the future, the machine might end up going head-to-head against the methane-sniffing drone NASA created, which was based on the sensor the Jet Propulsion Laboratory designed for use on Mars. Other than sniffing out gas leaks, the UAV’s potential applications include inspecting hard-to-reach machineries and and keeping an eye on factory flare stacks.

Source: Bloomberg

Don’t buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 7

In light of recent reports, we’re withdrawing our recommendation of the Galaxy Note 7.

When it’s not catching on fire or exploding, the Note 7 is an excellent phone — arguably the best out there. Like most of you, we expected battery-related issues to be resolved through Samsung’s recall and replacement program. Although serious damage had been dealt to the Note brand, the product itself was still fantastic.

The volume and similarity of these reports means Samsung has likely failed to address an underlying cause of the fires.

Now, multiple reports of fires involving replacement Note 7s from the U.S., Taiwan and Korea suggest the high probability of a continuing battery safety issue with the phone. We’re no longer looking at a single incident on an airplane. The volume and similarity of these reports means Samsung has likely failed to address an underlying cause of the fires.

That’s why today we’re withdrawing our recommendation to buy the Galaxy Note 7, adding a disclaimer to our review to reflect this. We’re also retracting our Choice Award, and will be removing it from our Smartphone Buyer’s Guide over the coming days. As it stands, you should not buy this phone.

If you already have a Note 7 in the U.S., we’d suggest taking advantage of the carriers’ offers to exchange it for a refund or another phone. In other countries, you may be able to return it for a refund within a certain time after purchase.

Where Samsung goes from here isn’t clear. Neither it nor the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported any conclusions yet from their investigations — but again, the number of very similar battery fire reports speaks for itself. An unprecedented second recall is a possibility, as is abandoning the product altogether and refunding existing customers. Both would try the patience of consumers. (And should another recall happen, who would have any confidence that Samsung had really fixed the issue in a third run of Note 7s?) The damage caused by this extraordinary situation will surely spill over onto Samsung’s next flagship, the Galaxy S8.

As it stands, you should not buy this phone.

The Note 7 was a great phone, but at this stage the damage is terminal. The lingering doubts over the safety of the phone will never disappear, and it’s unlikely you’ll ever be able to use it on a plane, or easily sell it when it’s time to upgrade next.

So it’s our recommendation that you don’t buy a Galaxy Note 7. Return yours for an exchange or refund if you can, and buy another great Android phone instead.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
• Here are all four Note 7 colors
• Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

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AT&T is done with the Note 7 as another fire is reported in Virginia

AT&T is done and has officially stopped selling the Note 7. The carrier reached out to media outlets with the following:

Based on recent reports, we’re no longer exchanging new Note7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents. We still encourage customers with a recalled Note7 to visit an AT&T location to exchange that device for another Samsung smartphone or other smartphone of their choice.

They also want to reiterate that anyone who has purchased a Note 7 and would like to exchange it should come to a store and do so, as announced on Friday.

In related news, the Verge writes that a Richmond Virginia man has contacted them with yet another story of the Note 7 and its fiery ways. Shawn Minter says his replacement Note 7 went up in flames and filled his bedroom with smoke early this morning. He provided receipts and images, which corroborate his story.

Don’t buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 7