News

Two U.S. carriers to halt all sales, exchanges of Note 7 [UPDATED]

Published

on

Samsung can’t put the second half of the year behind it fast enough. And its troubles are yet to subside; quite the contrary, they are worsening.

Two major U.S. carriers — AT&T and T-Mobile — on Sunday said they would halt all sales and exchanges of the troubled Samsung phone following reports of fires caused by new and “safe” Note 7 units.

“Based on recent reports, we’re no longer exchanging new Note 7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents,” AT&T said in an email sent to The Verge Sunday. “We still encourage customers with a recalled Note 7 to visit an AT&T location to exchange that device for another Samsung smartphone or other smartphone of their choice.”

[irp posts=”4473″ name=”You should replace your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 before it’s too late”]

T-Mobile head John Legere on Twitter said his company would stop selling and exchanging the Note 7 “out of an abundance of caution for our customers.” The carrier encourages subscribers to exchange their Note 7s with another device on T-Mobile and is giving a $25 credit on their bill.

U.S regulators are currently investigating the replacement Note 7 handset that caught fire on a Southwest Airlines flight on October 5. The plane was evacuated prior to take-off and no injuries were reported. At least four other incidents of replacement Note 7s catching fire have been reported in the U.S. alone.

In Minnesota, a young girl said she experienced a “weird, burning sensation” while holding her device; the phone later showed burn marks that were consistent with previous cases of Note 7s that were literally too hot to handle.

A man from Kentucky told local news outlet WKYT he woke up to find his bedroom filled with black smoke from his burnt Note 7. The man went on to say Samsung knew about it and didn’t say anything.

Even more damning, a Samsung representative allegedly sent him an inadvertent text message (likely intended for another company official) which said: “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.”

[irp posts=”4936″ name=”How to identify a safe Samsung Galaxy Note 7″]

The fourth incident involves a man in Virginia whose replacement Note 7 “burst into flames” on his nightstand on October 9th. The man provided The Verge with copies of his receipts and photographs of his Note 7 box to corroborate his story.

The latest reported incident came from a Texas family who witnessed their device catch fire on a table. It had been replaced at a retail store in September.

Samsung has since issued a statement in which it said it is investigating the fires and working with U.S. authorities — in particular, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) — throughout the investigation. The company promises to share its findings “as soon as possible.” You can read the full statement below.

Samsung understands the concern our carriers and consumers must be feeling after recent reports have raised questions about our newly released replacement Note 7 devices.

We continue to move quickly to investigate the reported case to determine the cause and will share findings as soon as possible.

We remain in close contact with the CPSC throughout this process.

If we conclude a safety issue exists, we will work with the CPSC to take immediate steps to address the situation.

We want to reassure our customers that we take every report seriously and we appreciate their patience as we work diligently through this process.

At this point, it seems almost certain that we’ll hear about another global recall soon, and that the once-promising flagship will be pulled from shelves for good this time.

If the reports are indeed accurate, Samsung should cut its losses and discontinue the Note 7, and focus its efforts on making amends with affected customers. And it has to knock everyone’s socks off with next year’s S8 to even have a chance at winning back public opinion. That phone ought to be capable of doing more than just scanning irises and taking pictures with two rear cameras.

UPDATE, October 10: Verizon also announced today it would stop issuing replacement Note 7 phones to its customers. The company has the most wireless subscribers in the U.S.

UPDATE 2, October 11: The Galaxy Note 7 is done for. Samsung has asked all carriers and retail partners to “stop sales and exchanges” of the phone. Here’s the latest statement from the company.

We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note 7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while the investigation is taking place.

We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.

UPDATE 3, October 12: Samsung said on Tuesday it would permanently cease production and sales of the Galaxy Note 7, The Wall Street Journal reports. To quote the company’s statement:

Taking our customer’s safety as our highest priority, we have decided to halt sales and production of the Galaxy Note 7.

The move effectively ends the phablet’s brief and embattled existence. Analysts said it could cost the company $17 billion in losses and forgone sales.

Source: The Verge, Samsung

Gaming

Horizon Steel Frontiers is an MMO set in the Horizon universe

The game is built for mobile but will have cross-play gameplay with PC.

Published

on

A few months ago, Sony sued Tencent for copying design elements from the Horizon series for the latter’s upcoming game, Light of Motiram. Though the game has been relatively silent since the kerfuffle, was Tencent on to something? Today, Sony and a Korean studio named NCSoft have officially announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO set in the Horizon universe.

It’s not just a simple announcement either. The title now has an official 10-minute video to preview the upcoming title. Right now, the trailer has nothing but cinematics, pre-alpha footage, and developer interviews. However, it’s a clear commitment to bringing the MMO to life.

Both the cinematics and the pre-alpha footage show off the familiar mechanical beasts of the series. The main goal of the title is to team up with other players and take down colossal beasts.

The game is set in the Deathlands, a new region inspired by Arizona and New Mexico. Players will have the entire state to play with. And, instead of Aloy, they can create their own personalized characters.

Horizon Steel Frontiers is built for smartphones. However, Sony and NCSoft are working towards cross-platform gameplay for the PC.

Right now, especially since the released footage is from pre-alpha development, we don’t know when the MMO will launch. However, it does look extremely exciting for fans of the original duology.

SEE ALSO: Sony announces adaptations of Horizon Zero Dawn, Tsushima

Continue Reading

Gaming

Elden Ring Nightreign is getting a DLC update this December

The update introduces two new Nightfarers and bosses.

Published

on

After Shadow of the Erdtree concluded the Elden Ring saga, FromSoftware kept the fire going with Elden Ring Nightreign, a multiplayer-focused standalone roguelike set in the same universe. It was a unique experience that breathed new life into the studio’s tough-as-nails dynamic. Now, before the year ends, FromSoftware has announced The Forsaken Hollows, a new DLC coming for Nightreign.

Even from launch, it was apparent that FromSoftware had content updates in store for Nightreign. The studio promised new maps and Nightfarers for the multiplayer game.

Yesterday, an earnings report hinted that the DLC was shipping out potentially early next year. Today, the studio dispelled all speculation and said that the DLC is definitely coming before the year ends.

The announcement expands the already-meaty game with two new playable Nightfarers: the arcane-wielding Scholar and the strength-slash-faith-focused Undertaker. Both characters, featured in the trailer, will introduce their special set of skills in the continuous battle against the Nightlord.

Besides the two new characters, two new bosses are coming to Limveld. We don’t know much about the two bosses. However, knowing FromSoftware, the studio is likely keeping them under wraps, so they can stomp on us harder.

Finally, the update introduces a new Shifting Earth area called The Great Hollow. The area is filled with “exotic ruins and temples; sacred towers denoting the remains of an ancient people; and crystals that exude a cursed, life-draining miasma.”

The Forsaken Hollows is a paid DLC coming to Elden Ring Nightreign on December 3. Though the DLC can be purchased separately, it’s already included in the Deluxe Edition and the Collectors Edition. It’s also available for those who purchased the Deluxe Edition Upgrade.

SEE ALSO: New Elden Ring Nightreign patch will make it easier for solo players

Continue Reading

News

Apple reportedly shelved the iPhone Air series indefinitely

The delay is because of low sales.

Published

on

On its own, the iPhone 17 Air is a mighty device. However, if you consider that the vastly superior iPhone 17 Pro series is only a hundred bucks away from the Air series, the thinner iPhone model becomes less attractive. Based on actual sales, it looks like Apple users think the same way. In response to low demand, Apple has reportedly shelved the next iPhone Air indefinitely.

Since the series launched a few months ago, numerous reports have speculated that the iPhone 17 Air isn’t performing as Apple expected. Given how Apple held out a lot of hope for the iPhone 17’s new designs, the Air’s failure to meet expectations is a big blow. Soon after the first reports trickled in, Apple reportedly dialed back on production to balance out the lower demand.

Now, as reported by The Information, Apple has reportedly delayed the next iPhone Air model indefinitely. Previously, the company was scheduled to release a new model next year alongside the iPhone 18 series. That’s not happening now.

Right now, there is no timeline for the next Air, if it is coming. That said, it’s still likely that Apple is still working on a new Air. It just might take some time while the company figures out how to make the next model pop.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone Air Review

Continue Reading

Trending