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Samsung Ships Flameproof Boxes For Note 7 Returns (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Samsung has been forced to cease production of its disastrous Galaxy Note 7 Smartphones because they keep catching fire, but it still has to address the problem of cleaning up its mess. The phone has been recalled twice, and owners now have to send their incendiary handsets back to the South Korean firm. And that poses a bit of a problem: if you need to issue a recall for a phone that is prone to spontaneously combust, you don't want those phones catching fire in transit. Samsung's solution is a fancy "Note 7 Return Kit," and it has sent one to XDA Developers. The kit contains a special "Recovery Box" that's lined with ceramic fiber paper to provide some protection against incineration. Samsung warns that some people will have a bad reaction to this lining, so the recovery kit also includes some gloves to protect your hands. They don't appear to be flame retardant, so if your Note 7 is currently ablaze, we'd suggest minimizing contact with it. Samsung also includes a shipping label to send the phone back. The box reinforces that flying ban, noting that the devices are only to be shipped by ground, safely within reach of the quenching hoses of the fire department.
This could have been a simple battery recall if they still used removable batteries.
They switched the battery cells in production for the first recall. If changing the battery didn't fix the problem, why would changing the battery easier fix it?
They're sending out boxes for their potential firebombs that require gloves to handle?
Clearly they realize that sending something that could spontaneously catch fire in the mail or through couriers is a significant concern, but wouldn't it make more sense to set up return centres at carrier retail locatdions where the phones could be loaded with a "discharge app" (put the display on full brightness, run the speaker at full volume with an inaudible signal, turn on the radios without broadcasting, etc.) to make them safe for later transport.
I'm sure that there will be cases where the phones will have to be sent in by customers, but I would think arranging for them to go to return centres would cover 98% of the total and allow customers to get replacements (probably iPhones)? This would limit the impact on the customers and help the carriers manage customer satisfaction.
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It would be safer if the devices were frozen in carbonite for return shipping.
Better known as 318230.
"Back in the day", I had a Samsung slider that was pretty much bulletproof. Long battery life, very primitive internet capability (but enough to let you search for information or check email), and a tolerance for punishment that verged on masochism. And it could get a signal where a lot of phones couldn't.
Ever since, they seem to have gotten into some kind of death spiral where their phones look great and offer steadily increasing capabilities, but reliability has declined to the point where they're now they're manufacturing pocket bombs.
It's a pity, really. When they offered a phone you could use in a road hockey game without hurting it, I was a hard-core loyal customer. Now? Not so much.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Worst of all, if one does catch fire in transit, the sender (not Samsung) will be liable for the consequences.
It's really disappointing to see a company like Samsung handle this so badly
The only sensible option is to return it to the point of sale for a refund. Failing that, people should be contacting Samsung so that they (and not the customer) are responsible for the safe packaging and transport of these devices.
> consumers really like having removable batteries
Pretty much all the best-selling smartphones have non-removable batteries.
Did you mean to say "the completely irrelevant smug technorati at Slashdot really like having removable batteries"?
I had a battery recall on a NVIDIA tablet and the return kit was a fireproof box that required ground shipping. And they weren't exploding, just failing early. This is standard procedure for any defective li-ion battery.
. Uh, thanks?
... massive liability issue.
The massive liability issue is half of it. The other half is that Samsung has a brand to protect, and is smart enough to know that no single product is worth destroying their brand.
Real lawyers write in C++
Beep Blup Bop! I am a bot. I will send a message to the user "Anonymous Coward" when somebody invents a smartphone.
This could have been a simple battery recall if they still used removable batteries.
Yep. How is he 100% certain it isn't a problem with the battery controller chip? Beats me...
No sig today...
Galaxy Note smartphone was constantly warming was 7 wonders of the explosion.
I'm just curious how the hell this problem got past their QA department?
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
Let's practice a little logic here, shall we?
Having a problem in the battery cells or pack does not preclude having a problem in the "controller chip" or any other system component. But are we multiplying entities here unnecessarily? Gratuitously attributing failure to the battery when the fires could be attributed to other system components?
No. Because li-ion battery design is supposed to prevent fires in the case of other system components/software being faulty. This is because that battery chemistry is inherently fire-prone: you have a flammable organic electrolyte bathing electrodes that release oxygen, with the entire system subject to thermal runaway. Therefore Li-ion battery packs have to be designed, like a Norman castle, according to the principle of defense-in-depth. It follows directly that any battery fires when the pack is installed in the system require failures in depth.
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Err... you do realize that design of a product like this is a team effort? What you would need is a conspiracy of engineers to seriously undermine, possibly even destroy the business division that employed them.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Since these phones will only be recycled, why bother with the static shielding bag?!
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
1. your tinfoil hat needs adjustment.
2. Why would an optical engineer be working on batteries and charging circuits? That's what electrical engineers and chemical engineers are for.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
Challenge fuckin accepted. Where do I get one?
Chewbacon
The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
" Gratuitously attributing failure to the battery when the fires could be attributed to other system components"
Nope, most other system components can't get that hot if you paid attention to Ohm's Law and did the math yourself.
"No. Because li-ion battery design is supposed to prevent fires in the case of other system components/software being faulty"
Humans that think they can beat physics suffer the consequences of physics. In this case, fire is the consequence.
"This is because that battery chemistry is inherently fire-prone"
Do the math on Nickel-Zinc and try saying that again with a straight face, assuming you even know how the physics and math for specific types of power storage systems works. Norman castle doesn't apply, here.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
I looked around to see any footage of exploding washing machines, found this Hotpoint that seemed quite formidable as it kept going instead of just abruptly stopping after first breakage, https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
mfwright@batnet.com