How to tell if your Galaxy Note 7 is safe to use
Samsung’s going to make it easy to check that new purchases — and replacement units — are unaffected by battery issues.
Samsung will soon be replacing potentially dangerous Galaxy Note 7s purchased during the first few weeks of the phone’s availability with safe units. As it does so, the manufacturer is also giving buyers a couple of ways to identify a safe Note 7.
Note: For the moment we only have confirmed information for Australia, however it’s likely global Note 7 shipments will follow a similar pattern. We’ll update this post with more information as we get it.
Samsung Australia has updated its Galaxy Note 7 notice page with details of how to tell a safe Note 7 from an unsafe one. Replacement Note 7s issued after the recall will have a circular blue-on-white “S” sticker on the box, and a small black square on the sticker with the phone’s unique IMEI number.
Samsung Australia says that once replacement units start rolling out it’ll also let customers look up their IMEI number in a database — either online or over the phone — to check whether their device is from stock affected by the battery issue. The database will go live on September 13.
Buying the Galaxy Note 7 new
If you buy a brand new Note 7 from a reputable retailer after it goes on sale again, you’ll almost certainly have a safe unit unaffected by the original battery problem. To double-check, look for the black square and “S” mark on your box.
What about buying second-hand?
If you’re buying a used Note 7 then the first point to check, again, is the sticker on the box. To double-check, you’ll be able to put your IMEI number into Samsung’s online database when it launches. (To find your IMEI, open the dialer and input *#06#)
We’ll continue to update this page with more information as it becomes available.
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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iPhone 7 trade-in programs require two-year contracts
If you’re looking to get your hands on an iPhone 7 in the coming weeks but wasn’t fast enough to secure one when preorders open, there’s still hope. All four major phone carriers have implemented their own iPhone 7 promotions, but despite their seemingly generous offers, there are quite a few caveats that might keep you from cashing in.
All the carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T) are offering special trade-in programs that read nearly exactly the same in print, with differing names the only real thing that separates them. The deal is such that if you trade in your qualifying iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, you’ll receive credit across 24 months toward your purchase of an iPhone 7.
There aren’t too many stipulations when it comes to the device you can trade in, except for the fact that it must be in “good working and cosmetic condition,” and you’ll only receive a credit of $650 toward the phone of your choice.
It may take a few cycles for the credit to show up, which is normal, but the iffy part is this: You have to keep your line active for a full two years.
While companies like Verizon touted the abolition of contracts, they still seem to be in vogue, just under a different name, “savings” in this situation. The deal may technically make your new iPhone 7 free, but you’re paying with it with your time as a customer at the carrier of your choice.
It doesn’t render the promotion useless by any means, but it does demonstrate the fact that carriers are still pushing many of the same ideas they were when they were still running with contracts. They’re just framing it differently. It’s still a good deal if you want to trade in your existing phone and have no qualms with staying with your current provider, but make no bones about it: it’s still a contract, even if it’s not in name.
Via: 9to5Mac
iPhone Upgrade Program Causes Headaches on Launch Day Due to Limited Stock
While the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus became available for pre-order at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time this morning, some customers enrolled in the iPhone Upgrade Program were unable to select the model, carrier, color, or storage capacity they desired due to limited stock seemingly as soon as orders began.
MacRumors reader Pbrutto of Allentown, Pennsylvania said that there were no iPhones available for him to pre-order, while many other existing iPhone Upgrade Program members were unable to order the specific model they wanted from Apple retail stores in their local areas, even immediately at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time.
My experience was logging in the moment that the Apple Store app was working only to see no availability and no way to pre order an iPhone. Seriously, Apple did not let their most loyal customers even place a pre order.
MacRumors reader Markarian421 shared a similar experience:
Same experience. Existing iPhone Upgrade Program member, but the only color available the instant the store opened was Rose Gold. My iPhone 6s Plus is Rose Gold, and I love it, but this is a black bezel year for me and I lust for the Jet Black. So, I reserved a Rose Gold for pickup Friday, but also ordered a Jet Black full price. By the time I got around to that, delivery dates had shipped to November.
The underlying reason appears to be that iPhone Upgrade Program members were placed into a separate stream than regular pre-order customers, and forced to reserve a new iPhone from a local Apple retail store — many of which were sold out. Some customers were not even able to access the reservation system at all, and instead received the following message just minutes after pre-orders began:
We’re not taking any more reservations to upgrade your iPhone right now. Reservations will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on September 17. Please come back then to make a reservation.
Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program lets customers upgrade to a new iPhone after just six months, as long as they have made at least 12 payments towards their current smartphone and trade it in upon upgrading. The leasing program is financed through Citizens Bank in the United States.
Today’s experience has left many iPhone Upgrade Program members frustrated, and questioning whether they will enroll in the program in the future. In the meantime, Apple’s in-store pickup reservation system for regular customers resumes September 17 in the United States, and select other countries, or customers can attempt a walk-in purchase on a first come, first served basis.
Tag: iPhone Upgrade Program
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Best Bluetooth headphones 2016: 10 of the best on/over-ears for wireless listening
With companies like Apple and Motorola ditching the 3.5mm headphone socket on their latest flagship smartphones, there’s never been a better time to cut the cord than now.
Sure, you can use Lightning headphones, or whatever gets bundled in the box, but if you have to move on from your old 3.5mm headphones, then embracing Bluetooth means convenience and pretty much universal compatibility with most devices. In many cases, you also get a cable in the box, so if you want to use them wired, you’re free to do so.
Bluetooth has often been seen as an inferior option when it comes to headphones, but with the advent of newer devices and more sophisticated audio processing, there are plenty of Bluetooth headphones that will serve you well when listening on the move or at your desk.
Here’s a run down of some of the best Bluetooth headsets that are available to buy. There’s plenty of variety with these cans, whether you’re looking for on ear or over ear, so browse the gallery and see what your next wireless headphones could offer you.
Click here to browse the best Bluetooth headphones of 2016.
European commission pulls free roaming plan after complaints
The European Commission has pulled down its free roaming plan for European residents, just days after it first posted it. “In light of the initial feedback received, President [Jean-Claude] Juncker has instructed the services to withdraw that text and to work on a new proposal,” the EC said in a statement. Consumer groups had assumed that free roaming in Europe would come with no strings attached, so were surprised to see relatively short, strict limits. “The Commission is setting the bar too low,” consumer group BEUC told Politico.
The EC proposed 90 day limits for free roaming, with no more than 30 days in a row. Critics expecting unlimited usage across the EU were incensed, though, accusing regulators of giving in to telecoms that want to preserve roaming profits. Despite pulling the draft after just four days, the commission called its plan a “major success” and downplayed criticism of the documents. “As we have promised, roaming charges will disappear. Nothing changes there,” it said.
EU couldn’t make it up pt 92: European Commission spokesman says the roaming plan – the one Juncker just pulled – is a ‘major success’
— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) September 9, 2016
The commission says the 90-day limit is necessary to ensure that people don’t buy a cheaper phone plan from a country they don’t live in. The period is based on another Euro rule that requires members to register their residency if they stay somewhere more than 90 days in a year.
The move is obviously a setback to Juncker’s government, which made the free roaming policy a top priority. The commissioner in charge, Andrus Ansip, called it “one of the best achievements of the European Union in the last few weeks.” The commission is determined to introduce the new rules by June 2017, so it’s got just nine months to prepare a plan that works for everyone.
Juncker’s own party, the European People’s Party (EPP) opposed the proposal and took credit for the plan’s withdrawal. “We are fighting for the end of roaming fees for consumers in 2017 and not for solutions with backdoors,” EPP head Manfred Weber told the AFP.
Via: AFP
Source: European Commission
Justin Timberlake’s concert film debuts on Netflix October 12th
As the streaming wars rage on, Amazon, Hulu, Netflix and others continue to add to their libraries. Today, Netflix announced via Twitter that Justin Timberlake’s concert film will debut on the service October 20th. Officially titled Justin Timberlake and The Tennessee Kids, the title is the performance from the Las Vegas stop of the singer’s 20/20 Experience Tour. This only pads Netflix’s music-focused exclusives, following A Very Murray Christmas, Keith Richards: Under the Influence, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead on Steve Aoki and What Happened, Miss Simmone.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that Netflix nabbed the global streaming rights to the Timberlake concert ahead of its debut at the Toronto Film Festival next week. Another interesting note is that Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme was at the helm for the project. Demme’s credits also include more musical selections like Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, Kenny Chesney’s Unstaged and Neil Young’s Heart of Gold.
Let the groove get in. Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids arrive on Netflix October 12. pic.twitter.com/cPeJoT6P84
— Netflix US (@netflix) September 9, 2016
Source: Netflix (Twitter)
VW engineer pleads guilty to conspiracy in emissons scandal
Just when you thought Volkswagen’s emissions scandal couldn’t get any worse for the company, it did. James Robert Liang, a veteran Volkswagen AG engineer, pled guilty in federal court on Friday to charges of conspiring to defraud US regulatory agencies and American consumers for his part in the 10-plus year emission cheating scheme.
According to the Justice Department plea deal, Liang and his co-conspirators were tasked with developing the “EA 189” diesel engine for sale in the US. However, they quickly realized that they could not design an engine that could meet the stringent US emissions limits. So instead, they designed and implemented software that would recognize when it the car was being smog tested — versus simply driving around normally — and adjust the vehicle’s emissions accordingly.
Between 2009 and 2016, Liang and his co-conspirators reportedly repeatedly lied about the capabilities of the engines as well as their ability to meet the Clean Air Act statute and concealed the existence of the illicit software from US regulators. The terms of his plea deal have not yet been made public.
Source: Bloomberg
Amazon Prime Now delivers supplies to tailgaters at 49ers games
Amazon’s one-hour Prime Now deliveries were already available to customers in the San Francisco area, but the company is going a step further for football season. The online retailer is teaming up with the San Francisco 49ers to deliver supplies to tailgaters at Levi’s Stadium during this year’s slate of NFL games. This will certainly come in handy when fans run out of game-day essentials and can’t easily drive out of the lot to go on a grocery run.
Ordering is pretty straightforward, you just have to enter the venue’s zip code to access a list of available items. At checkout, enter the address for Levi’s Stadium and be sure to include which parking lot you’re in and the nearest parking flag number. Prime Now is only available in three parking lots — Red Lot 1, Green Lot 1, and Blue Lot 1 — but the 49ers say that’s where most of the tailgaters set up. Amazon’s quick delivery service is available in the Bay Area from 8 AM until midnight and two-hour delivery is free. If you need something in an hour, you’ll have to pay an extra $8.
Source: San Francisco 49ers
A first look at Canon’s EOS 5D Mark IV
The long-awaited EOS 5D Mark IV is getting ready to hit retailers later this month. And, as expected, it is a worthy successor to one of Canon’s most popular DSLRs, the 5D Mark III. At least based on specs. It features a massive 30.4-megapixel CMOS sensor, a Digic 6+ processor and, perhaps most importantly, 4K video at 23.98, 24, 25 and 30 fps. Additionally, the 5D Mark IV comes with a 61-point autofocus system, an ISO range of 100-32,000 a built-in digital lens optimizer, NFC and WiFi. We had the chance to check it out for the first time at an event in New York City and, not surprisingly, it looks nearly identical to its predecessor.
Of course, the major changes here are on the inside. Along with what we mentioned above, the camera also sports Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF, which lets you track moving subjects accurately when you’re shooting video. When you hold it in your hand, it feels just like a Mark III, although the new body is 60 grams lighter. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to shoot sample images with it, but we’ll have a chance to do so in the near future. (The lenses pictured above were pre-production units, so Canon said it wouldn’t feel comfortable with the results.)
All in all, though, the EOS Mark IV promises to be a juggernaut for professional photographers and videographers alike. In case you forgot, it’s set to cost $3,500 body-only, though there will be a couple of kits available on release date. We’ll let you know as soon as Canon reveals when its DSLR arrives in stores.
GM recalls 4.3 million vehicles worldwide over faulty airbags
General Motors will recall 4.3 million vehicles across the globe because of a software defect in the airbag system that has so far been linked to one death and three injuries, Reuters reports. The bug prevents frontal airbags from deploying in “rare circumstances when a crash is preceded by a specific event impacting vehicle dynamics,” GM tells Reuters.
The recall affects trucks, cars and SUVs in the 2014 – 2017 model years.
This recall does not concern Takata airbags, which have so far been linked to 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide. Takata airbags use a chemical that can degrade over time, especially in warm and humid conditions, and explode in a hail of hot metal shrapnel. More than 24 million vehicles and 28 million Takata airbag systems have been recalled so far, and in May, a report surfaced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would recall 35 million more.
In July, Reuters reported that GM would have to recall 4.3 million Takata airbag systems at a cost of $550 million for the company. While today’s news appears to be a separate issue, the number of affected vehicles remains the same. GM says today’s recall will not impact its financial results in any large way.
Source: Reuters
