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Apple hires a new boss to revamp Apple TV's image
For further evidence that Apple is looking to revamp its TV strategy, I present exhibit A: the hiring of Timothy D. Twerdahl, previously head of Amazon's Fire TV division. A report from Bloomberg says that Twerdahl will be the new vice president running Apple TV's marketing wing. Whether that means there will be a different approach to how Apple tries selling the gizmo, or something else entirely remains to be seen. Something tells me Apple isn't going to hire Gary Busey for its ads anytime soon, though.
A visual history of gadgets that have burst into flames
Samsung had a rough 2016. Last year, the company had to recall its Galaxy Note 7 after units were catching fire, followed by millions of washing machines that were exploding in people's homes. But Samsung isn't the only company that's struggled recently with faulty batteries. We've seen similar issues with hoverboards, a Tesla Model S and the latest electric skateboard from Boosted. Let's take a look at other products that have had trouble in the flammability department. And let's hope those non-exploding lithium Ion batteries get here soon.
Samsung will 'soon' reveal the cause of Galaxy Note 7 fires
Samsung might finally be ready to bring the Galaxy Note 7's fiery story to a close. The company opened its CES keynote with a promise that it would "soon" report on the root of the Note 7's battery fires. That's not exactly a clear timetable, but it indicates that Samsung is finally close to an answer -- important when the tech giant has been stumped for months. And when South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo cited sources claiming that Samsung would shed light on the issue in January, "soon" may be a matter of a few weeks.
Lithium battery failure wipes out DARPA robot at NASA
It's not just Samsung that has problems with combusting batteries, as NASA's office of Safety and Mission Assurance has just revealed. The body has announced that NASA centers have seen at least four major explosions and a number of close calls over the last decade. The latest crisis was a fire at the Jet Propulsion Lab that wiped out one of DARPA's RoboSimian droids before a test.
NYT: Samsung engineers can't replicate Galaxy Note 7 problems
Even though Galaxy Note 7 production has shut down and the phones should be on their way back to Samsung in fireproof boxes, the question of how everything went so wrong has yet to be answered. When it initiated a recall on September 2nd, the company said that "we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue." However, today when it announced a permanent end to manufacturing, there was no word on the problem. A report by the New York Times indicates that despite assigning "hundreds" of employees, they have not been able to reproduce the spontaneously smoky, blazing hot phones too many customers have experienced.
Samsung ends production of the Galaxy Note 7 for good
Samsung has "permanently discontinued" production of the Galaxy Note 7, the company told Engadget in a short statement. Sales of the flagship phone were halted yesterday because replacements for the original, recalled model were still catching fire and exploding. Shortly after it started doing exchanges, the updated models were involved in several serious fires, causing the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines flight and a fire that sent a Kentucky owner to hospital with smoke inhalation.
Two more Galaxy Note 7 replacements caught fire (update: carrier responses)
Unfortunately, that replacement Galaxy Note 7 which caught fire wasn't just a one-off. There are now two more incidents of the ostensibly safer smartphone igniting and threatening the health of its users. To start, a teen in Farmington, Minnesota reports that her replacement Note 7 started burning up while it was in her hand on October 7th. She 'only' suffered a minor burn to her thumb, but tells KSTP that it could have been worse if it was in her pocket. Both Samsung and the Consumer Product Safety Commission say they're investigating the issue.
Replacement Note 7 starts smoking on Southwest flight (updated)
A Southwest flight was evacuated in Lousiville, Kentucky when a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 overheated and began smoking on board. Louisville Metro Arson investigators confirmed to WAVE News 3 that a Samsung device was the cause of the incident. All passengers and crew members exited the plane safely via the main cabin door and no injuries were reported. To make matters worse, the device was a replacement following the company's global recall of the handset over the last few weeks.
Galaxy Note 7 replacements hit stores on September 21st
If you've turned in your Galaxy Note 7 (like you should!), you've probably been wondering when Samsung would start getting replacement devices out the door. Turns out you won't have to wait too long: the company just announced that "most retail locations" in the US will have the phone available on September 21st. This news comes as the US consumer safety group officially recalled the product, a move that Samsung already made a few weeks earlier.
Australian airlines ban use of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7
Australian airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have told passengers not to power up or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones on its planes. "We are requesting that passengers who own them do not switch on or charge them in flight," Qantas told Reuters in a statement. The companies weren't ordered to do so by aviation authorities in the nation, but did so on their own accord in light of Samsung Australia's recall.
How an argument led to the creation of a safer 'hoverboard'
German electronics firm Hama had been looking at self-balancing skateboards, better known as Hoverboards or Swagways, for about half a year. It wanted to get into the market and so bought every single device currently available to see how they worked. As the company's Thomas Bobinger described it, these low-cost devices "didn't fit with Hama's brand," probably because of how unsafe they were. The firm promptly washed its hands of the idea and moved on to other projects, until fate decided to intervene.
RIP Basis Peak: The best wearable you've never heard of
If you don't already own a Basis Peak, then you'll probably never get the opportunity to see one up close and personal. The wearable has barely registered in market-share metrics but has suddenly made a name for itself after being recalled. Which is a shame, because history is likely to remember it as that watch that caught fire and burned its owners. That would be an enormous disservice to a gadget that's one of the most seriously underrated wearables on the market.
Amazon gives its Fire HD 10 tablet a classier metal shell
If you've been eyeing Amazon's Fire HD 10 tablet, but aren't a fan of its plastic shell, you're in luck. The company now offers a metal version of the tablet, addressing one of the main gripes about the mobile device. The best part? Pricing remains the same as the current Fire HD 10, starting at $230 for the 16GB model (with "special offers"). Alongside the new aluminum design, Amazon is also debuting a 64GB version that will set you back $290.
Amazon's Fire tablet gets a 16GB option and three new colors
At $50, we called Amazon's Fire tablet "incredible value" and a device "that sets a benchmark for budget slates." It was so cheap, in fact, that Amazon tried to sell them like a six-pack of beer. Now, the company is back with some new colors -- magenta, blue and tangerine -- and a 16GB option for those that want to download more than a handful of apps. To get the double storage, however, you'll need to pay an extra $20 over the regular asking price. There's also a new 16GB Kids Edition that costs $120.
Watch Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft reach the ISS this morning
Run out of Daredevil episodes to binge but still can't sleep? Take a peek live while the ISS captures its largest delivery ever, riding aboard an Orbital Cygnus spacecraft (like the one shown above during a delivery in December last year). NASA TV will kick off its livestream at 5:30AM ET., and the craft is scheduled to arrive at 6:40AM ET. The most exciting part, however, is still a couple of months off. Once Cygnus detaches from the ISS, engineers will remotely ignite the Spacecraft Fire-1 (Saffire-I) experiment, to find out how a large fire spreads in microgravity. It will be the first of a series of such experiments, and they will be the first ones conducted at this scale. Other experiments aboard include upgraded 3D-printing capabilities, the Gecko Gripper device, five CubeSats and much, much more. Update: The Cygnus successfully berthed with the ISS.
Orbital rocket ready to launch its biggest ISS cargo ever
A resupply ship from Orbital ATK is ready to launch its largest cargo ever to the International Space Station. The newly redesigned Cygnus craft, first launched in December, is capable of carrying 25 percent more payload than before, and today's weighs nearly four tons. "It's like opening a box of goodies and finding some stuff you've been wanting and some surprises you didn't know about," says Orbital's Dan Tani, a former ISS astronaut. Along with the supplies, Cygnus will carry a 3D printer from Made in Space, two dozen nanosatellites and Saffire, an experiment to test the effects of fire in space.
Amazon's 7-inch Fire tablet discounted to £40 in the UK
Amazon's newest 7-inch Fire is all the tablet most people need, which is why it's such incredibly good value for money at only £50. Or it was, anyway, before Amazon decided it wasn't quite cheap enough. As of today, you can pick up the entry-level slate for just £40, or £48 if you absolutely can't bear the lock screen adverts.
Amazon's holiday hits included instant film and turntables
You'd think that an internet retail behemoth like Amazon would primarily sell a lot of cutting-edge tech during the holidays, but nope -- that wasn't the case this year. The company has posted its annual holiday bestsellers, and it turns out that some of the hottest purchases were decidedly retro. The best-selling camera tech this year, for example, was Fujifilm's Instax instant film. A digital camera, the GoPro Hero4, was only a runner-up. Likewise, the top home audio gear was a Jensen turntable, eclipsing a Yamaha receiver and Sonos' Play:1 two-speaker kit.
Over 15,000 'unsafe' hoverboards seized at UK borders
Self-balancing scooters. Hoverboards. Whatever you want to call them, they're now a smash-hit in Britain. Companies are now scrambling to offer cheaper and sleeker versions in time for Christmas, but there's a problem: the majority are unsafe, according to Trading Standards. Officers have examined more than 17,000 "hoverboards" at sea ports, airports and postal hubs since October 15th. Of these, more than 15,000, or 88 percent, were deemed dangerous due to "a range of concerns" related to internal batteries and cut-off switches, chargers, plugs and cabling.
Sky Go finally comes to Amazon Fire tablets
For more than three years, Brits have been able to enjoy the Sky Go app on their Android device. Sky's been quite clear that as long as you own a smartphone or tablet running Android 4.0 (and you have an active Sky subscription), you can get involved -- as long as you aren't trying to download it on an Amazon device. Sky's aversion to the world's biggest online retailer has persisted, but as it gets ready to unleash Sky Q on the world, the company has finally relented and decided now is the time to slot in the missing piece of the Android puzzle.
