The Consumer Product Safety Commission is assisting Samsung in its recall of the Galaxy Note 7

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has stepped in to assist Samsung in its recall of the Galaxy Note 7 following the firm’s discovery that a faulty battery was to blame for at least 35 handsets randomly exploding while on charge.

Earlier today, the CPSC published a statement on its official website revealing that it’s working closely with the South Korean company to determine whether a simple exchange program is a sufficient solution to the problem.

Stop using @SamsungSupport Galaxy #Note7. Full statement: https://t.co/v7sfEouZw2 http://pic.twitter.com/0NufAJScId

— U.S. CPSC (@USCPSC) September 9, 2016

Unfortunately, the CPSC hasn’t provided a time frame for when it will deliver its decision. We don’t expect it to be any time soon, though, seeing as it took the agency over six months to recall malfunctioning hoverboards.

In the meantime, it’s provided Galaxy Note 7 owners with one piece of advice: “Power down the [device] and stop charging it immediately”.

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Exclusive: Samsung is in talks with Nvidia and AMD for GPU technologies

There have been multiple reports in the past stating Samsung’s efforts to develop an in-house GPU for its mobile processors. The company’s Exynos chipset with a GPU developed internally was expected to be ready in time for the Galaxy Note 5, but the plan didn’t materialise. We’ve now received additional information regarding the matter.

Currently, Samsung is using ARM’s Mali series of GPUs in its Exynos chipsets. According to information that we’ve received, Samsung is in talks with both AMD and Nvidia to license their GPU technologies. As of now, Nvidia seems to have an upper hand due to its superior Pascal architecture. However, that doesn’t mean AMD could be ruled out, especially since Sony just announced its PS4 Pro gaming console with 4K gaming that uses AMD’s Polaris architecture.

An Exynos chipset with HSA support is rumoured to arrive next year. Samsung is also working hard to add CDMA support in its Exynos chipsets, and the company is planning to test its upcoming SoC on CDMA networks in September 2017. The Exynos-powered Galaxy S9 is expected to support CDMA networks, which could mean that the South Korean smartphone giant could dump Qualcomm’s Snapdragon solutions for good in the coming years.

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[Poll] Do rumors about Samsung only releasing an edge version of the Galaxy S8 surprise you?

It’s increasingly being rumored these days that Samsung is only going to release an edge version of the Galaxy S8 next year. One might say that this is inevitable given that both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S7 saw the edge version outsell its flat counterpart by a significant margin. There were rumors this year that Samsung will launch a flat and edge version of the Galaxy Note 7 but it only came out with one which has a dual-edge curved display even though it’s not called “Galaxy Note 7 edge.” So the signs are there and this might very well be the case with the Galaxy S8. Samsung may drop the “edge” moniker completely and only offer one version of the Galaxy S8 that has a curved display. So, are you surprised? Vote below and let us know what you think about this in the comments below.

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Samsung’s upcoming mid-range smartphone enters testing in India

We told you about a week ago that Samsung has two new mid-range smartphones in the pipeline bearing model numbers SM-G5510 and SM-G5520. Both handsets have already been spotted on websites of GFXBench and Wi-Fi Alliance respectively and the former has now also been spotted on import tracker Zauba.

The tracker shows that Samsung has imported multiple units of the SM-G5510 into India for testing and evaluation. That’s not all. The SM-G5510 also sailed through the FCC certification process recently which goes to show that it’s only a matter of time before this handset is officially announced.

It’s possible that the SM-G5510 is a successor of the Galaxy Grand On (SM-G5500). The successor is expected to feature a 5-inch HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage as well as a 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. It’s too soon to say right now when Samsung is planning to launch this device. No specs of the SM-G5520 have surfaced online but it’s quite likely that we will see more leaks related to these devices before Samsung officially announces them.

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Here’s how you identify a Galaxy Note 7 with a battery that won’t explode

It’s going to take Samsung a week or so to start supplying its carrier and retail partners across the globe with replacement inventory so that it can start replacing existing Galaxy Note 7 handsets with new units. Samsung has already confirmed that it’s going to voluntarily replace each and every Galaxy Note 7 unit that has been shipped across the globe after the handset’s release on August 19. In case you’re unaware, the company is doing that after it found a battery cell issue that caused batteries in more than 35 Galaxy Note 7 units to explode. It has explained what’s causing the batteries to explode and has said that the manufacturing error is no longer a concern for units being produced now.

How will you as a customer know that the unit you’re being given has a battery that’s not at risk of exploding? Samsung Electronics Australia has provided some more information today about the device replacement process. It confirmed that replacement stock will be available for customers in the country starting September 21. It also revealed how new and old units can be identified.

There will be clear identifiers on the retail box of a new Galaxy Note 7 unit. Identifiers include a small black square on the white barcode label as well as a white sticker with a blue letter “S.” Samsung Australia is also going to establish an online IMEI database where customers will be able to verify using the IMEI number of a Galaxy Note 7 to confirm if it’s one of the new replacement units. One such database has already been set up by Samsung for customers in China and Hong Kong.

It’s quite likely that this exact same method might be used in other markets across the globe to enable customers to identify Galaxy Note 7 users with safe batteries. Samsung gave itself a two-week deadline to start sending out replacement inventory across the globe.

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AT&T finally updates the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge to Marshmallow

It has been over a year since Google released Android 6.0 Marshmallow. A couple of weeks ago the company actually released Marshmallow’s successor – Android 7.0 Nougat – and yet those who own the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge on AT&T are just now getting a taste of Marshmallow. AT&T has finally released Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge. Even though this update has been released in the first week of September it does not include the latest Android security patch.

Software versions MMB29M.N910AUCU2EPH5 and MMB29M.N915AUCU2DPH5 are now being rolled out for the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge on AT&T. The update file weighs in at 1.3GB and brings everything that users have come to expect from Marshmallow. It also adds video calling, advanced messaging and Wi-Fi calling features from AT&T. The carrier should have completed the over-the-air rollout by now but if you don’t recall getting an update notification, you can always go to About device in the Settings app to manually download it.

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Galaxy A7 (2017) may have a bonkers 16-megapixel front camera

We exclusively reported about two weeks ago that Samsung is now working on the 2017 iteration of the Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7. It has been nearly nine months since the existing models of these handsets were launched so it’s about time that the Galaxy A series was refreshed. We have already shared some details about specifications of the Galaxy A5 (2017) and if you believe everything you find in benchmarking results, then it looks like the Galaxy A7 (2017) is going to have an absolutely bonkers 16-megapixel front facing camera.

The benchmark results of the Galaxy A7 (2017) reveal that this handset features a 5.5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display with a 1.8GHz octa-core processor from Qualcomm underneath that’s hooked up to 3GB RAM. It also appears to feature 32GB of expandable storage. Interestingly, it appears that the Galaxy A7 (2017) is going to have the exact same camera on the front and the back – a 16-megapixel shooter - which would probably make this handset the mother of all selfie phones. Samsung is yet to confirm when it’s going to launch the 2017 Galaxy A series, it might possibly make us wait until the end of this year.

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Samsung updates S Health app with more health related content

Samsung has updated the S Health app today with some new features. Version 5.1.1.0005 of the app, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store, now comes with a larger variety of health content in some countries. You can now save records of step challenges, which were introduced in the last update. The step challenges will be saved using your Samsung account.

Other new features include an option to cheer your S Health friends using messages, and you can also block unwanted people so that they can no longer invite you to step challenges. Samsung has also improved the security of your activity and health data using Knox. As always, the new app comes with slightly improved design, new menus, and improvements to user experience.

Here’s the complete changelog for the new version of the S Health app:

WHAT’S NEW

• A greater variety of health content is available in some countries.
• Save records of Steps challenges using your Samsung account.
• Cheer your friends on with messages, and block unwanted people so they can’t invite you to Steps challenges.
• Security is enhanced through being Samsung Knox enabled along with HIPAA compliance.
• New menus added and design improved.
• User experience improved and bugs fixed.

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FAA warns passengers not to use the Galaxy Note 7 while on board an airplane

Two days ago, we reported that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was in the process of deciding whether to ban the Galaxy Note 7 from being taken on board aircraft after Samsung decided to recall the device following its discovery that a malfunctioning battery was to blame for some handsets exploding while on charge.

The FAA has today revealed that it’s decided not to prohibit the Galaxy Note 7 from being carried onto public flights. It has, however, strongly recommended that passengers do not power on or charge the handset while on board an airplane. It did enforce one restriction, though: The unit should not be stowed in any checked baggage.

The FAA’s full statement can be seen below:

In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.

 

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