Samsung Galaxy Note7 shipments delayed amid reports of exploding batteries

The well-reviewed Galaxy Note7 from Samsung has, unfortunately, run into a major technical problem that may taint its otherwise successful launch. 

Distribution of the Galaxy Note7 is reportedly being delayed due to a new, unexplained series of product quality tests intiated by the South Korean electronics giant. 

"Shipments of the Galaxy Note7 are being delayed due to additional tests being conducted for product quality," a Samsung spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday. 

Although the company did not elaborate on what the specific quality control issue is, the same report mentions claims of exploding batteries from local news sources in South Korea. 

And contrary to the aforementioned "delayed" statement from Samsung, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency claims that shipments of the device have been completely halted in the wake of various reports of the Galaxy Note7 exploding while charging its battery. The report cites five claims of exploding devices since Aug. 24.  

A user posted a damaged Galaxy Note 7 on Baidu amid claims that the device's battery may explode while charging.

IMAGE: VIA BAIDU

In recent days, photos have begun to crop on sites like Baidu showing what some users claim are Galaxy Note7s that have allegedly suffered accidental fire damage. However, there has been no confirmation from Samsung that the burned phones showing up online were definitely impacted by battery or charger malfunctions.  

The Korean Herald reports that Samsung is investigating the matter and may release the results of that investigation soon. 

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Smartphone addicts get street warning signs in South Korea

Smartphones can be dangerous. Not because they may potentially cause cancer (that's a valid concern), but because people are so glued to them and often not looking at what they're walking into on the street.

With the help of the National Police Agency, Seoul, South Korea's Metropolitan Government is taking preventive measures to warn the city's citizens to be more aware of their surroundings when using their smartphones.

The Seoul government unveiled two traffic signs as a part of a pilot program, which you can see below. One sign, "Warning: Using Smartphone while Walking," is for warning pedestrians about the dangers of getting hit by a car while using a smartphone while crossing the street.

Another sign, "Walk Safely," is designed to discourage users from getting lost in their phones while walking on the sidewalk.

IMAGE: SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT

The new traffic signs will be installed in five districts (Hongdae, City Hall, Yonsei University, Gangnam Station and Jamsil Station) the government has identified as areas that have seen high reports of smartphone-related accidents from citizens in their 10s to 30s.

It's also not the first time we've seen smartphone-specific solutions implemented by cities. A few years back, a Chinese theme park in Chongqing, China, came up with aclever walking lane designed just for people using their smartphones. 

While it was only isolated to the theme park and a similar texting lane was installed in Washington D.C. as part of the "Mind Over Masses" science series campaign for National Geographic, these solutions shouldn't be shrugged off as silly.

The fact is, many of us are head-down, glued to our smartphones, completely unaware of the dangers around us. It wouldn't surprise me if in addition to increased traffic accidents, pick-pocketers are nabbing huge hauls simply because people aren't paying attention to their belongings and surroundings.

The concerted effort to better inform Seoul's smartphone-addicted citizens is admirable, but it's questionable if the signs will make much of a difference. We won't know until after the signs have been installed whether or not smartphone-related accidents decrease in the city.

Nationwide IoT network to link up South Korean smart cities

Smart city ambitions just leveled up thanks to a partnership between South Korean firms Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom that will build a nationwide Internet of Things (IoT) friendly network.

As reported by TheVerge.com, the companies announced plans to construct a network across South Korea for connected devices and smart city technology.

The coast-to-coast network is based on LoRaWAN technology, which stands for Long Range Wide-Area Network. The South Korean companies hail the initiative as the world’s first commercial LoRaWan network on a national scope. However, both KPN in Holland and Swisscom in Switzerland are rolling out national networks this year as well.

The network will be first rolled out in Korea’s fourth largest city Daegu utilizing the 900MHz frequency band. Following this, the network will be deployed nationally by mid-2016 according to the companies.

Samsung said that Daegu is serving as the test bed for the IoT network. Its initial focus will be on infrastructure for renewable energy, cloud computing and big data for healthcare and medical services, and infrastructure to accommodate electric cars and autonomous vehicles.

It gave an example of how Daegu’s streetlights will collect traffic and weather data via IoT sensors, which enables cost efficiencies by allowing the city to automatically adjust light levels, while simultaneously transmitting air pollution information.

South Koreans already have embraced connected tech

LoRaWAN is a long-range, low power and low-bandwidth networking technology that is ideally suited to facilitate communications between IoT sensors that will enmesh smart cities of the future. These networks seek to augment rather than replace existing networking solutions for connecting such devices like smartphones and laptops that consume large amounts of power and bandwidth.

South Korea is known as one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries with its capital Seoul being one of the smartest smart cities on the globe.  Indeed, almost every aspect of public life in Seoul is guided by technology, from its integrated public transport system to the government’s emergency warning system.

Seoul is partnering with such companies as Microsoft, Cisco and LG to deploy smart city technology in all corners of the metropolis.

Nationwide IoT network to link up South Korean smart cities

Smart city ambitions just leveled up thanks to a partnership between South Korean firms Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom that will build a nationwide Internet of Things (IoT) friendly network.

As reported by TheVerge.com, the companies announced plans to construct a network across South Korea for connected devices and smart city technology.

The coast-to-coast network is based on LoRaWAN technology, which stands for Long Range Wide-Area Network. The South Korean companies hail the initiative as the world’s first commercial LoRaWan network on a national scope. However, both KPN in Holland and Swisscom in Switzerland are rolling out national networks this year as well.

The network will be first rolled out in Korea’s fourth largest city Daegu utilizing the 900MHz frequency band. Following this, the network will be deployed nationally by mid-2016 according to the companies.

Samsung said that Daegu is serving as the test bed for the IoT network. Its initial focus will be on infrastructure for renewable energy, cloud computing and big data for healthcare and medical services, and infrastructure to accommodate electric cars and autonomous vehicles.

It gave an example of how Daegu’s streetlights will collect traffic and weather data via IoT sensors, which enables cost efficiencies by allowing the city to automatically adjust light levels, while simultaneously transmitting air pollution information.

South Koreans already have embraced connected tech

LoRaWAN is a long-range, low power and low-bandwidth networking technology that is ideally suited to facilitate communications between IoT sensors that will enmesh smart cities of the future. These networks seek to augment rather than replace existing networking solutions for connecting such devices like smartphones and laptops that consume large amounts of power and bandwidth.

South Korea is known as one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries with its capital Seoul being one of the smartest smart cities on the globe.  Indeed, almost every aspect of public life in Seoul is guided by technology, from its integrated public transport system to the government’s emergency warning system.

Seoul is partnering with such companies as Microsoft, Cisco and LG to deploy smart city technology in all corners of the metropolis.