Samsung donates 200 Galaxy View tablets to Fort McMurray Public Schools

It was revealed yesterday that the Fort McMurray wildfire that occurred back in May caused over $3.6 billion in damages. Many charities from all over the world have donated funds to those in need of assistance, but there are still many facilities that are lacking the fundamental resources to function effectively, including schools. Samsung Canada is the latest company to offer its support as it has today donated $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross and has provided 200 Galaxy View tablets to Fort McMurray Public Schools as an educational tool, which have a combined value of $140,000.

“The teamwork, strength and spirit demonstrated by Fort McMurray residents since tragedy struck in May continues to be an inspiration for our entire team,” writes Chief Brand Officer of Samsung Electronics Canada Mark Childs. As the focus turns to rebuilding this vibrant community, we are proud to contribute to the Canadian Red Cross relief efforts, and look forward to working alongside the Fort McMurray Public School District Board to help residents get back on their feet as soon as possible and support students to reach their full potential.”

For those unaware of the Galaxy View, it’s an 18.4-inch Android tablet that was designed to compete with the likes of the iPad Pro and Surface Book. It sports a 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 750 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and a 5,700mAh battery, which we found was more than capable of withstanding up to 9-hours of heavy usage; making it the perfect companion for every student. The out-of-the-box support for all of Google’s core services, such as Google Drive and Google Docs, also means that students will be able to access and edit all of their documents both in the classroom and at home.

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Consumer Reports finds that the Galaxy S7 Active doesn’t meet Samsung’s water-resistant claims

For the past couple of years, Samsung has been releasing an “Active” variant of its Galaxy S flagships exclusively on AT&T in the U.S. The Active variants are positioned as rugged smartphones that are water, dust and shatter resistant. Previous handsets have owned up to these claims but Consumer Reports has tested the Galaxy S7 Active’s water-resistant credentials and found that they’re not exactly what Samsung claims them to be. Bear in mind that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge boast the same water-resistant claims and they have passed the tests.

Samsung claims that the Galaxy S7 Active has IP68 water-resistant certification which means that the handset can survive after being submerged in up to five feet of water for 30 minutes. This is the claim that Consumer Reports tested by placing a Galaxy S7 Active in a water tank pressurized to 2.12 pounds-per-square-inch which is the equivalent of just below five feet of water and set a timer for 30 minutes. The handset was removed after the time was up, Consumer Reports says that the display was obscured by green lines, the touchscreen wasn’t responsive and that tiny bubbles could be seen in the front and rear camera lenses.

To ensure that this wasn’t a defective unit a second Galaxy S7 Active was similarly tested and it too failed the test. The second unit’s display cycled on and off every few seconds and that moisture was visible in the front and rear camera lenses. Water was also found in the slot which holds the SIM card. A few days after the tests the screens of both phones would light up when they were plugged in but the displays could not be read, the phones are no longer functional.

Samsung says that it has received “very few complaints” from customers who have faced similar issues and that in those cases the handsets were covered under warranty. It said in a statement that “There may be an off-chance that a defective device is not as watertight as it should be” and that it’s investigating the issue. So until there’s more information on this matter it would be best to avoid dunking your Galaxy S7 Active for half an hour just to be on the safe side.

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Galaxy S7 edge no longer available on Sprint’s Galaxy Forever upgrade program

Sprint announced the Galaxy Forever upgrade program back in February this year, the program allowed customers who leased the Galaxy S7 or the Galaxy S7 edge from the carrier to upgrade to the next Galaxy S flagship when it arrives in 2017 by just making 12 payments on a Sprint Lease. The program made them immediately eligible for an upgrade to the next flagship after 12 monthly payments. It appears that the carrier is no longer offering the Galaxy S7 edge on the Galaxy Forever upgrade program.

The carrier hasn’t sent out an official statement on this matter yet but it has been confirmed through multiple Sprint retail stores that the Galaxy S7 edge can no longer be purchased on the Galaxy Forever upgrade program. That’s odd when you consider the fact that the Galaxy S7 is still available on this program, both in retail stores and online. It’s unclear right now why Sprint has quietly made this change. Customers who wish to purchase the Galaxy S7 edge from Sprint can opt for the conventional 24-month financing plan instead.

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