Replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone catches fire on Southwest plane

Post by nolok » Thu, Oct 06, 2016, 9:07 AM UTC

msl wrote: post #138

PaulRobinson wrote: post #130

I got a flight across Greece a week or so back. It's the first time a named device was singled out as "do not turn on, do not attempt to charge, please identify yourself to cabin staff"-type stuff since the 1990s when there was a bunch of - I think, Gateway - laptops that were known to catch fire, and they were regularly not allowed on flights. The fact this is a replacement means the product has a major engineering…

> This could be the end of Samsung. This really could not. Samsung is a gigantic conglomerate. They make everything from power plants to super tankers and weapon systems. They could lose their phone business entirely and still be huge.

Post by Jonnax » Thu, Oct 06, 2016, 9:15 AM UTC

tajen wrote: post #134

richardw wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this thing was supposedly off when it started smoking: "Green said that he had powered down the phone as requested by the flight crew and put it in his pocket when it began smoking." What's the remedy here? All Galaxy Notes in the airtight metal box until we land?

First I'm surprised Al Queda doesn't use a special OS or a virus to make phones explode on a plane. Second, it could be competitors who specifically target the Note 7 with a 0-day attack to harm Samsung's reputation. All phones with a battery are a fire hazard if they get the wrong OS.

Post by stesch » Thu, Oct 06, 2016, 9:18 AM UTC

molecule wrote: post #6

Analemma_ wrote: post #2

This is a huge problem for Samsung. Individual recalls don't usually damage companies permanently; people understand that sometimes shit happens, and they quickly forget about it. But two in a row, when the replacements were supposed to be safe, is the kind of thing that etches itself much more deeply into public consciousness. Popular culture is now going to be associating "Samsung phone" with "time bomb" for a long…

And the event taking place on an airplane is close enough to the nightmare scenario of catching fire during a flight that it will be firmly placed into the public consciousness.

Post by ZoFreX » Thu, Oct 06, 2016, 9:29 AM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #104

It's my understanding that all Lithium Ion batteries can fairly easily catch fire if they are not treated somewhat carefully, typically by a circuit that prevents loads that might cause it to heat up. Is it theoretically possible that malware could be designed that would cause a Lithium Ion powered smart phone's battery to catch fire? I'm thinking it would be more of a low-level firmware update where a programmable l…

Post by pjc50 » Thu, Oct 06, 2016, 9:37 AM UTC

tajen wrote: post #134

richardw wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this thing was supposedly off when it started smoking: "Green said that he had powered down the phone as requested by the flight crew and put it in his pocket when it began smoking." What's the remedy here? All Galaxy Notes in the airtight metal box until we land?

First I'm surprised Al Queda doesn't use a special OS or a virus to make phones explode on a plane. Second, it could be competitors who specifically target the Note 7 with a 0-day attack to harm Samsung's reputation. All phones with a battery are a fire hazard if they get the wrong OS.