News

Galaxy Note 9 reportedly burst into flames inside a woman’s purse

This doesn’t seem right

Published

September 17, 2018

Daniel Morial

Since the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung has been very careful with their batteries. The latest Galaxy Note 9 is promised to have a safer battery despite the increase in capacity. However, there’s an alleged incident of the new phone bursting into flames in New York.

Diane Chung, a real estate agent from Long Island, filed a lawsuit which could be the first report of a Note 9 catching fire.

Her story according to the lawsuit filed in the Queens Supreme Court goes like this: Just after midnight of September 3, Chung was in an elevator of a Bayside building when her brand new Note 9 “became extremely hot.” She stopped using the phone and put it in her bag.

Suddenly, “She heard a whistling and screeching sound, and she noticed thick smoke” from her purse. She put the bag down and tried to empty it, burning her fingers as she grabbed the smoking Note 9.

She was “extremely panicked” and trapped alone in the elevator when she dropped the phone, now emitting thick smoke, and started smashing elevator buttons. When she reached the lobby floor, she kicked the burning phone out of the elevator.

Luckily, a good Samaritan stepped in and grabbed the phone with a cloth and threw the phone into a bucket of water. The unfortunate incident left her unable to contact clients and ruined all her stuff in the bag, claims Chung, who called the experience “traumatic.”

Chung wants unspecified damages and a restraining order against the sales of any Galaxy Note 9 phones.

Samsung is aware of the report and was swift to give a short statement. “We have not received any reports of similar incidents involving a Galaxy Note 9 device and we are investigating the matter,” a Samsung spokesman said.

Given Samsung’s troubled history with big batteries, it’s not wise to ignore any similar reports. But, it’s also wise not to immediately believe that this is going to be a second installment of the Samsung’s battery disaster. It could be an isolated defect, but we can’t tell for sure.

Entertainment

SEGA, Netflix announce Crazy Taxi film adaptation

1st in planned slate of film adaptations, including Sonic and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN

Published

September 18, 2026

GadgetMatch

SEGA and Netflix have announced a new Crazy Taxi film adaptation. This will usher in a new collaboration era with the parties also developing adaptations for Sonic and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN.

Such a slate of future adaptations reflects the range of SEGA’s library as it draws on Netflix’s experience bringing beloved game worlds to new audiences.

The first project features Crazy Taxi, which will be written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. The beloved writing duo was behind the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun.

Also on board to help helm the production are the same visionaries behind the Sonic franchise: Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara.

Crazy Taxi has been an arcade hit since 1999, putting players behind the wheel of a fearless cabbie racing the clock through chaotic city streets.

There’s flying off ramps, dodging traffic, and chasing tips with punk-rock energy that has become the series’ signature.

The latest title in the franchise, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, is set for a 2027 release. You can watch its trailer below:

Finance

HONOR, Fidesmo partner for contactless payments across Europe, Middle East

Enabling contactless payments on the HONOR Watch 6

Published

September 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

HONOR and Fidesmo have partnered to launch contactless payments across Europe and the Middle East on the HONOR Watch 6.

Powered by Fidesmo Pay, the integration enables users to connect an existing Mastercard or Visa card to their watch and complete contactless transactions directly from the wearable device.

This brings Fidesmo’s network of over 900 banks and financial institutions to HONOR’s customers. Users can connect an existing card to the HONOR Watch 6 instantly through the HONOR Health App, which installs a unique token directly onto the watch.

Acting as a secure reference to the payment method, this token allows customers to pay without storing their actual payment details on the device. Once installed, users can tap the watch at any
contactless terminal to pay, just as they would with a card or phone.

HONOR joins a group of device partners that already includes Swatch, Polar, and Mondaine as Fidesmo continues to build momentum across categories.

Entertainment

Max vs 100 will feature Max Verstappen race against 100 go-karters

The live event will stream at midnight on September 17.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As a child, one of my favorite thought experiments is to imagine who would win in a fight between my favorite characters at the time and a number of other random beings. For example, will Superman prevail against 100 Magnetos? Those are the ways I kept my young mind occupied. Now, as a former child, I still do the same thing but with more realistic people, like imagining if Steph Curry can win against 100 high schoolers. This week, ESPN and Disney+ are making one of those imaginary fights real: Formula 1 legend Max Verstappen versus 100 go-karters.

In an upcoming live event streaming exclusively on Disney+, Max vs 100 will pit the four-time world champion against 100 go-karters from everywhere in pop culture. This gaggle of 100 will include popular content creators such as Twitch streamer ExtraEmily, car photographer Larry Chen, and NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews.

All 101 drivers will race around one of the most iconic tracks in Formula 1 history, Silverstone in England. The track will be reconfigured to match the special race.

Of course, this is more than just a parade of go-karts. Max Verstappen will start at the back of the grid, meaning he has to overtake all 100 racers to win. Now, the Dutch driver is no stranger to winning from the back. In 2024, he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix despite starting from P17 (out of 20 racers). Max vs 100, though familiar for the driver, presents a different challenge. Can he overtake 100 times to win the race?

Max vs 100 will stream live through Disney+ on September 17, 12:00am PHT.