Samsung acquires Viv, an AI platform from the makers of Siri
Just a day after Google revealed its premium Pixel phone and Google Home featuring Assistant AI baked in, Samsung is making a splash by buying up some AI power of its own. Viv Labs was founded by some of the same people behind Apple’s Siri technology, who have referred to their new platform as an assistant that’s capable of anything. Co-founder and CEO Dag Kittlaus writes in a blog post that “Samsung will drastically accelerate our vision.” Samsung says the team will continue to operate independently, but it clearly has an eye towards integrating natural language understanding into its phones, TVs, appliances, VR and everything else.
Developing…
Source: Dag Kittlaus (Medium), Samsung Newsroom
Replacement Note 7 starts smoking on Southwest flight (updated)
A Southwest flight was evacuated in Lousiville, Kentucky when a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 overheated and began smoking on board. Lousiville Metro Arson investigators confirmed to WAVE News 3 that a Samsung device was the cause of the incident. All passengers and crew members exited the plane safely via the main cabin door and no injuries were reported. To make matters worse, the device was a replacement following the company’s global recall of the handset over the last few weeks.
The Verge spoke to Brian Green, the owner of the Note 7, who confirmed that the phone was a replacement unit that he received at an AT&T store on September 21st. There’s a black square icon on the back of the box and Green said the device had a green battery indicator, both of which are signs Samsung said would let customers know a handset was safe to use. Green told The Verge he had powered down the device at the request of the crew and put it in his pocket when it began smoking. One of Green’s colleagues said the phone had burned through the plane’s carpet when they went back on the place to grab carry-on items.
The recent global recall of the Note 7 was bad enough for Samsung, but if there are still safety risks with the replacement devices, the whole ordeal could get a lot worse. The company has released battery-limiting updates outside of the US to prevent the phones from exploding.
Update: A Samsung spokesperson sent the following statement to Engadget:
“Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause. Once we have examined the device we will have more information to share.”
Source: WAVE News 3
Fire on Plane Caused by Replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Over the past few weeks, Samsung has been replacing recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that have faulty exploding batteries with new devices, but an incident today suggests the South Korean company’s smartphone woes aren’t over.
A Southwest flight from Louisville to Baltimore was today evacuated just before it pulled out of the gate because a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone started smoking. While no one was injured, there is a serious problem — the Galaxy Note 7 in question was a replacement device that had been deemed “safe” by Samsung.
According to The Verge, the owner of the Galaxy Note 7, Brian Green, had replaced his original Galaxy Note at an AT&T store on September 21. The smartphone had a green battery icon and box the device came in features a black square, both of which are indicators of a replacement Note 7.
Green told The Verge he had powered down the phone as requested by the flight crew and stowed it in his pocket before it started smoking.
He dropped it on the floor of the plane and a “thick grey-green angry smoke” was pouring out of the device. Green’s colleague went back onto the plane to retrieve some personal belongings and said that the phone had burned through the carpet and scorched the subfloor of the plane.
He said the phone was at around 80 percent of battery capacity when the incident occurred and that he only used a wireless charger since receiving the device.
Samsung has already replaced more than one million Galaxy Note 7 devices, and has said the new Note 7 smartphones have batteries “that are not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire.” Despite the recall, reports of overheating devices are circulating on a near-daily basis, and the company could have another disaster on its hands if replacement devices are also experiencing the same issues.
Rumors have suggested Samsung’s Note 7 problems began after the company rushed the device into production after realizing the iPhone 7 would not feature major design changes, seeing it as an opportunity to one up Apple. Suppliers were pushed to meet tighter deadlines for an earlier launch, leading to critical oversights.
Samsung America president and COO Tim Baxter apologized to customers in September. “We did not meet the standard of excellence that you expect and deserve,” he said, adding that Samsung is working to earn back customer trust.
Tag: Samsung
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Samsung Reports 1 Million Note 7 Users Safe After Recall, but Overheating Stories Persist
Samsung today issued a statement confirming that more than one million of its Galaxy Note 7 customers affected by reports of overheating, and sometimes explosions, are now using devices with batteries “that are not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire” (via Recode). Following the initial wave of reports, earlier in the month Samsung issued an “unprecedented” recall of 2.5 million Note 7 devices less than a month after the smartphone launched.
According to the company, the one million figure includes devices issued as replacements in the recall, as well as Note 7 handsets originally sold in China that Samsung has deemed safe because “they used batteries that came from a different supplier to those that could overheat.” Still, there are reports within China of exploding Note 7 phones that the company is looking into, which it says is not at the fault of the battery.
Samsung, in a statement issued on its China website, apologised to its consumers for failing to providing a detailed explanation why the smartphones on sale in China were safe, as they used batteries that came from a different supplier to those that could overheat. “Currently, the brand new Note 7 products that have been swapped in overseas markets are using identical batteries to those that were supplied and used for the Chinese version,” Samsung said.
Samsung said it takes reports of Note 7 fires in China very seriously and has conducted inspections on such devices. Batteries for the burnt phones were not at fault, Samsung said, adding its conclusion was also backed up by independent third-party testing.
Despite the company’s work at remedying the issue with the Note 7, reports are still coming in of overheating on replacement handsets. A few users in the United States and South Korea have reported that new Note 7 smartphones, which Samsung sent as replacements for the original malfunctioning devices, are “too hot to place next to the ear during a phone call.” Samsung said that this specific issue “does not pose a safety concern” like the original recall, and compared it to normal “temperature fluctuations” on any modern smartphone.
“There have been a few reports about the battery charging levels and we would like to reassure everyone that the issue does not pose a safety concern,” the South Korean giant said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the replacements are operating normally. “In normal conditions, all smartphones may experience temperature fluctuations.”
In one case, Samsung has agreed to replace a customer’s replacement Note 7, but it’s not clear how widespread the faulty replacement device issue is currently. According to the company, more than 60 percent of Note 7 handsets have been exchanged in the U.S. and South Korea through the recall program, which could cost it between $1 and $5 billion, while 90 percent of customers chose to get a new Note 7 instead of seeking a refund or getting a separate smartphone model.
Samsung’s problems with the Note 7 reportedly began when the company decided to push suppliers in order to meet an earlier deadline after learning that this year’s iPhone 7 would have no major design changes. Earlier in September, Samsung America president and COO Tim Baxter apologized to consumers, stating that “we did not meet the standard of excellence that you expect and deserve.”
Tags: Samsung, Galaxy Note 7
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US regulators warn customers about exploding Samsung washers
Just days after Samsung began replacing defective Galaxy Note 7s due to a risk of exploding batteries, the company faces another major product issue. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning today after multiple reports of top-loading washing machines exploding. Owners of Samsung appliances in Georgia, Indiana and Texas say that they were doing a load of laundry when they heard a loud boom.
ABC News reports 21 people have submitted cases to the CPSC since early 2015 of washers exploding or blowing apart. One customer in Texas said the explosion had so much force it went through the wall of her garage. Samsung is also facing a class-action lawsuit in New Jersey over the issue.
Following the reports, the CPSC made the formal warning for top-loading Samsung units made between March 2011 and April 2016, but it didn’t get specific with model numbers. In a statement on its website, the company says that it’s working with US regulators “to address potential safety issues.” Samsung says that “in rare cases,” the washing machines “may experience abnormal vibrations” when customers are washing bulky items like bedding. Those vibrations might pose a safety risk or could cause property damage, the company explained.
“It is important to note that Samsung customers have completed hundreds of millions of loads without incident since 2011,” the statement said.
For now, Samsung recommends that owners use the low-speed delicate cycle when washing “bedding, bulky or water-resistant materials.” So far, there haven’t been any issues reported while using that setting. Front-loading models aren’t affected, but if you own one of Samsung top-loading appliances, you can check to see if you need to take precautions by entering the serial number here.
Via: CNN Money
Source: Samsung
Samsung Pay adds in-app coupon search for its anniversary
Samsung Pay is celebrating its first year in America by launching a feature couponers would love. The Korean company has teamed up with the owner of Coupons.com to make redeeming discounts much easier. Now, when you link your loyalty card or account with the app, you’ll be able to browse all the digital coupons that retailer has to offer within Samsung Pay itself. You can also clip all the coupons you want to use, and they’ll automatically be applied when you check out with the app.
Besides the nifty new feature for people shopping on a budget, the payment app is now much easier to use with a new device, as well. It stores your membership, gift and reward cards in the cloud, so you won’t have to scan them or to type in your details again when you finally get that Note 7 replacement or that other Pay-compatible Galaxy phone you’ve been eyeing for quite sometime. Finally, Samsung is giving away 365 Gear S2 smartwatches to lucky Twitter users who tweet out an emoji-filled birthday message for the app. The Gear S2 is Pay-compatible, by the way, giving the winners a way to pay for purchases with a wave of their arm.
Source: Samsung, Quotient Technology
Galaxy Note 7 finally goes on sale in Europe on October 28th
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 was originally set to go on sale in Europe on September 2nd, but on that very day the launch was pulled and a global recall issued on account of their tendency to explode without warning. This made the regional recall process a little simpler for Samsung, given only those who had taken advantage of early delivery preorder promotions had devices in hand, but it also meant Europeans have never actually been able to straight-up buy — battery defects aside — Samsung’s finest smartphone yet. That changes October 28th, however, when the Note 7 will finally go on general sale in the region “subject to full completion of the exchange programme.” Though whether consumer confidence has been irreparably damaged already remains to be seen.
Alongside announcing the European launch date, Samsung has provided a number of updates on how the recall process is going today. In Europe, 57 percent of handsets have been handed over since exchanges began just over a week ago, causing Samsung to predict it’ll have every defective device back by early October. In the US, over 60 percent of Note 7s have been tracked down, up from roughly 50 percent last week — the pace is understandably slower as sales started on August 19th, so there are more handsets out in the wild.
Over 60 percent of phones sold in South Korea have also been exchanged, with Singapore residents leading the pack with more than 80 percent of handsets returned. In the immediate aftermath of the global recall, Samsung lost many, many billions in market value; but apparently people that wanted a Note 7 in the first place are happy to stick with the device, with roughly 90 percent of those choosing to receive a new, non-exploding model. Better the devil you know, we suppose.
Source: Samsung
Apple Edges Samsung to Top U.S. PC Customer Satisfaction Survey for 13th Consecutive Year
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) today released its latest results [PDF] on U.S. consumer satisfaction in the personal computer industry, including tablets, with Apple narrowly topping the charts for the thirteenth consecutive year.
Apple maintained its year-ago score of 84 out of 100 in the survey, consisting of interviews with 3,500 customers chosen at random and contacted via email in June to share their experiences with recently purchased products like Macs and iPads.
Samsung, in its second year of ASCI tracking, trailed just one point behind Apple with a score of 83 out of 100, a 6.4% rise compared to its 2015 score.
Much like the smartphone category, the personal computer industry has become a race between Apple and Samsung for both market share and customer satisfaction. Apple and Samsung dominate market share in the tablet category, but the two companies take divergent views on the future of tablets. Apple continues to add laptop-like functionality to iPads, while Samsung sees tablets as additional devices for entertainment and browsing that complement—but not replace—laptops.
Amazon, which manufactures affordable Kindle tablets but not traditional PCs, finished third in customer satisfaction with an 80 out of 100 score, while PC makers Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Toshiba rounded off the list with scores between 73 and 78. ACSI’s scores are calculated using its so-called cause-and-effect econometric model, which it says is based upon survey-measured inputs of customer expectations, perceptions of quality, and perceptions of value.
While Apple’s customer satisfaction remains characteristically strong, many customers are getting impatient with the current state of the Mac lineup. Beyond the 12-inch MacBook, our own Buyer’s Guide lists all Mac models as Don’t Buy due to the lack of updates in several hundreds of days. iMac: 350 days. MacBook Pro: 497 days. MacBook Air: 568 days. Mac mini: 712 days. Mac Pro: 1,013 days. The latest word is that new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with USB-C could launch as soon as October.
Tags: Samsung, ASCI
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The US’ TV energy ratings don’t reflect the real world
If you were hoping that your new, energy-efficient TV might help save the planet (and your power bill), you’re in for bad news. Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, has published research showing that the US’ energy ratings for TVs (such as EnergyGuide and Energy Star) don’t line up with consumption in the real world. Tests on 2015 and 2016 sets from LG, Samsung and Vizio show that they use “up to twice” as much energy as claimed, often by turning off power-saving features with “little to no” warning. Some switch off the eco-friendly mode if you so much as change the picture settings, for example, while high dynamic range video will jack up the energy draw by 30 to 50 percent. Even the test footage used for government tests doesn’t reflect the electricity you’d use in real-life viewing, the Council adds.
The NRDC goes so far as to accuse TV makers of “exploiting weaknesses” in US energy tests, designing TVs that feign compliance in test conditions but flout the rules when they’re in your living room.
None of the TV makers dispute the basic data, although the Consumer Technology Association unsurprisingly takes issue with the claims of sinister intentions. It insists that the NRDC is pushing “sensational-but-meaningless headlines” and showing an “inexplicable hostility” toward an industry that, in the long run, has saved a tremendous amount of power through TVs that honor EnergyGuide and Energy Star.
The CTA has a vested interest in defending TVs. They’re still the Association’s bread and butter, as any CES attendee can tell you. However, it’s true that TVs have become more efficient over the years, and there’s no concrete evidence that TV brands are cheating. Rather, the major concern is simply that TV energy ratings are behind the times. The Department of Energy’s testing method is 8 years old, the NRDC notes — it came about well before the advent of HDR and 4K screens. Officials may need to not only update their guidelines, but take a new approach that constantly adapts to evolving technology.
Via: BBC
Source: NRDC, CTA
Recommended Reading: A closer look at Nike’s self-lacing shoes
The Secret Lab Where
Nike Invented the
Power-Lacing Shoe
of Our Dreams
Scott Eden,
Wired
Nike announced this week that it’s self-lacing HyperAdapt shoes will go on sale November 28th. They’re sure to be crazy limited, but the company invited Wired in for a behind-the-scenes look at the shoe’s development. You might have a hard time grabbing a pair of your own, but at least you can take a closer look at the design process via some leisurely reading.
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