Exploding cellphone kills Chinese man

Here's the thing about batteries: they store energy. Lots of it. Channeled correctly, that energy does really awesome things for us -- but channeled chaotically, and... well, you know where this is going, don't you? A man shopping in a Lenovo store in mainland China has been killed after the phone in his chest pocket exploded, severing arteries and leading to massive blood loss. The make and model of the phone and battery have yet to be identified, but seeing how this is the seventh high-profile case of an exploding phone in China in the last six years, it really gives you pause before installing that shady off-brand juice, doesn't it?

[Yankees368 @ Feb 2nd 2009 1:55AM]

I'm going to put my over heating touch pro down now.

[Kip HT @ Feb 2nd 2009 1:58AM]

My N95 never overheats :P

[/troll]

[wantonenow @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:12AM]

My off brand juice was made in china. am i in danger?

[Game_playa @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:04PM]

Sure you are.

[imtimekeeper @ Feb 2nd 2009 1:56AM]

Sony Battery!?

[mark smith @ Feb 2nd 2009 1:57AM]

7th... In six years... In a country of about 1.4 billion... Where they make the things so cheap, they probably replace them 2-3 times in that amount of time?
I'll take my chances.

[IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (BarCODE) @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:01AM]

Are you talking about the people or the phones?

[Leo @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:34AM]

exactly - one of my first (admittedly sick) thoughts was - "oh no, the Chinese are gonna be extinct soon!"

[m @ Feb 2nd 2009 1:58AM]

having dealt with lenovo customer service, i'm guessing the phone was supposed to go off after he'd left the store.

[Sy @ Feb 2nd 2009 1:59AM]

Note to self: DO NOT STORE PHONE IN CHEST POCKET OF MY JACKET.

[Zane @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:15AM]

Well, store it down there and it'll kill your gentleman vegetables.

[Mobius_1 @ Feb 2nd 2009 6:14AM]

Death or dishonour?

(Leaves phone at home)

[MarkoUK @ Feb 2nd 2009 7:37AM]

Should be: "note to self - don't buy dodgy unbranded knock off batteries!". Testing - limited. Reliability - suspect. Safety - nil!

[jouten @ Feb 2nd 2009 11:23AM]

I wear mine on my hip. I guess I would rather have hip surgery than a heart extraction or gender conversion (I know someone who wears theirs on a clip in front of their 'area').

[mac007 @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:00AM]

Guys, be safe and don't keep your phone in your pocket is possible.

[bebop @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:11AM]

but.. this could be a great opportunity to market a line of kevlar pocket protectors!

[kal326 @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:14AM]

@bebop

Are they Chinese made kevlar pocket protectors?

[Dan @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:48PM]

And where, pray tell, would you suggest a man keep his phone?

I'll admit, this does make the case for a man-purse, doesn't it?

[Gad Get @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:05AM]

Strange and tragic things occasionally happen. Does this mean we should all stop going outside for fear of being struck by meteorites?

[Brian @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:09AM]

Seven exploding phones in six years in one country does NOT represent the same odds as a direct hit with a meteor.

This is a very real danger. I'm certainly not going to buy some cheap knock off battery for my soon-to-be-acquired netbook, now.

[artifex @ Feb 3rd 2009 1:51AM]

We seem to hear more about people getting struck by meteorites while INSIDE houses, than outside them.

[Kalamaty @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:11AM]

Just imagine a Vaio P exploding in your jacket pocket....

[Adam H. @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:12AM]

hahaha, can you get it to fit? *comfortably*

[Sam @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:31AM]

That's what she said

sorry

[Bryan @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:24AM]

Pretty scary. The odds are nothing to joke around with!

[zedster @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:31AM]

anyone ask the Mossad about this?

I hear they know how to make phones go BOOM!

[dan @ Feb 2nd 2009 4:48AM]

You know the world is fucked up when someone gets killed by an exploding phone battery and people claim a Jewish conspiracy!

[zedster @ Feb 2nd 2009 10:04AM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahya_Ayyash#Death_and_aftermath

It was a reference to this

[insky @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:33AM]

I keep my phone in my pants pocket. I think i'll move it to my shirt pocket, because I'd rather have it go off there than in my crotch.

[loosely_coupled @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:43AM]

Same thing I was thinking... I'd rather take my chances with a shirt pocket or back pocket than the front pocket!!

[gecko @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:39AM]

Don't be alarmist fools. Your odds of being killed by being struck by lightning (60 people in the US last year) are far higher than getting one of these exploding batteries (7 in 6 years).

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/medical.htm

[Unknown @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:54AM]

Thanks for the heads up.

I'll have to make a note to stop walking in the rain with my overtly metallic umbrella in hand and knock-off iphone in my boxers.

[BobTurbo @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:44AM]

This is why I only carry my mobile phone in the front pocket of my pants and wear iron-clad jocks.

[mattkenny @ Feb 2nd 2009 4:05AM]

@BobTurbo: the chastity belt makes a comeback!

[FILA @ Feb 2nd 2009 2:57AM]

ahh man how home china gets a lenovo store

the same reason they get everything else

[sinai @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:05AM]

who cares how small the odds are if you happen to be that 1 in 20 trillion?

[dudi @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:09AM]

Why mention Lenovo at all? Is this a subliminal way of linking Lenovo and exploding Batteries?
Or did the Battery realise it was in a Lenovo store and then blow up?

[qiezi1015 @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:27AM]

In the newspaper in china, it said "the man is a sale staff of the lenovo store".
But the newest update said "The store is not a certified lenovo store, It is just a computer shop showing big lenovo signs on their window"

[brock @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:42AM]

Funny thing is that I'm doing a chart for school on China right now.

Should this go under "Technology" or "Other"?

[GingerFox @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:15AM]

it should be under: 'Other Technology'

[Nelson @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:53AM]

Population control?

[Shikimoribito @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:47AM]

No video after the break?

[Samboini @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:19AM]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-hqyl9wZxbA

[kwokman5 @ Feb 2nd 2009 3:48AM]

the yellow banner says "explosive winter sale"...

maybe it's funny only to me

[Mobius_1 @ Feb 2nd 2009 6:16AM]

Funny to me too... Talk about irony...

[Patriks7 @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:07AM]

Here's hoping the iPhone batteries are OK, because you know, it's missing something all other phones have..

[dishbreak @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:11AM]

My feeling is that with globalization, our economies have moved away from things that last long to things that cost less. A cheap battery? Sure, why not. What's the worst that could happen?
It's sad and it's very unfortunate for the man and those who knew him. But it's the price we pay for looking more at the bottom line. The report doesn't say what brand the phone or the battery were, but with Sony's recent disasters with respect to batteries, I don't think brand matters as much. All in all, in going for the bottom line, we can sometimes pay a huge price.

[Matt @ Feb 2nd 2009 5:14PM]

The Chinaman is not the issue!

[technician @ Feb 2nd 2009 6:04AM]

Sony Ericsson ? lmao

[technician @ Feb 2nd 2009 6:08AM]

I swear this is Sony Ericsson, didn't we have a Sony Ericsson batteries problem report here on Engadget a few days ago ?