Two More Replacement Note 7s Explode, So Yeah, Don’t Buy a Galaxy Note 7

verizon galaxy note 7

At the end of last week, after a report surfaced of a Galaxy Note 7 owner whose supposedly safe phone caught fire on a Southwest plane just before takeoff made the rounds, and carriers began accepting returns for those worried about their own replacement devices, two more reports of exploding devices have arrived. This situation is getting worse by the day.  

One report arrived in Minnesota, where a 13-year old girl was holding her replacement Note 7 as it heated up and then melted in her hand, leaving minor burns. The other report came out of Kentucky, where a man said he awoke in the middle of the night to smoke filling his bedroom and his replacement Note 7 on fire. That smoke later caused vomiting and a trip to the emergency room.

The man in Kentucky originally thought Samsung was doing everything it could to help him, but then he received a text he believes wasn’t intended for him from a Samsung rep that read:

Just now got this. I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it

Yikes. I’m not about to dive into what they are potentially suggesting there. With that said, the man is now seeking legal help.

Samsung issued an iffy statement on Friday as all of these reports arrived, saying that they are moving quickly to investigate them and see if they can determine a cause. They are still working with the CPSC and will “take immediate steps to address the situation” should they find a safety issue.

You have to wonder if it’s time for Samsung to just throw in the towel or wave the white flag for the Galaxy Note 7. If anything, you certainly shouldn’t go out and buy a Galaxy Note 7 today or tomorrow. Your best bet is to hold tight if you feel as if you must own this phone and see how this all shakes out. Honestly, though, I don’t know how it could be worth waiting around for. There are plenty of excellent phones on the market, plus a few more arriving within a couple of weeks, and none of them will blow up in your bedroom, in your hand, in your Jeep, or on an airplane. Also, if you do own a replacement, you may want to consider returning the little guy for something else.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on Samsung’s findings.

Two More Replacement Note 7s Explode, So Yeah, Don’t Buy a Galaxy Note 7 is a post from: Droid Life

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Germany calls for a ban on combustion engine cars by 2030

Germany isn’t content with relying on

financial incentives

to usher in an era of pollution-free cars. The country’s Bundesrat (federal council)

has passed

a resolution calling for a ban on new internal combustion engine cars by 2030. From then on, you’d

have

to buy a zero-emissions vehicle, whether

it’s electric

or running on a

hydrogen fuel cell

. This isn’t legally binding, but the Bundesrat is asking the European Commission to implement the ban across the European Union… and when German regulations tend to shape EU policy, there’s a chance that might happen.

The council also wants the European Commission to review its taxation policies and their effect on the "stimulation of emission-free mobility." Just what that means isn’t clear. It could involve stronger tax incentives for buying zero-emissions cars, but it could also involve eliminating tax breaks for

diesel cars

in EU states. Automakers are already worried that tougher emission standards

could kill diesels

– remove the low

cost of ownership

and it’d only hasten their demise.

Not that the public would necessarily be worried.

Forbes notes

that registrations of

diesels

, still mainstays of the

European car

market, dropped sharply in numerous EU countries in August. There’s a real possibility that

Volkswagen’s

emission cheating scandal is having a delayed effect on diesel sales. Combine that with larger zero-emissions incentives and the proposed combustion engine ban, and it might not take much for Europeans to go with electric or

hydrogen

the next time they go car shopping.

Related Video:

This article by Jon Fingas originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life.

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