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Samsung recalls the Galaxy Note 7 amid battery fears (updated)
The Galaxy Note 7 isn't just the highest-scoring phone we've reviewed this year, it's the highest-scoring product. But following several reports that batteries were exploding, Samsung has issued a global recall of the device. Sales have been halted effective immediately, and all devices sold will be replaced. The problem occurs when faulty devices are being charged, and is down to an issue within the batteries themselves, rather than power adapters or circuitry. Apparently, it affects only a small percentage of devices, but when shipments are in the millions, that still amounts to a very big problem. Yonhap News Agency cites an anonymous official saying that batteries were sourced from both China and Korea, and it's the Korean-made batteries that are affected. Nonetheless, Samsung is recalling all models to be sure. At a press conference to announce the recall, Samsung said that 35 cases of the fault have been reported to date. It estimates the problem affects only 24 in a million devices, which equates to roughly one for every 42,000 sold. Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile business, apologized for any inconvenience the recall may cause customers, but said it was important to put safety first.
Samsung reportedly gearing up to announce a Galaxy Note 7 recall (updated)
Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 debuted to almost surprising critical acclaim earlier this month, but since launch we've seen occasional reports of devices exploding while being charged. The company said yesterday that it delayed Note 7 shipments while it looked into the situation, but a report from Korea's Yonhap News Agency suggests Samsung knows what's going on and is prepared to announce a widespread recall. Update: It's official. Samsung has pulled the Galaxy Note 7 off of shelves and says it's preparing replacements, with a plan to begin the recall in about two weeks.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket explodes on launch pad in Cape Canaveral (updated)
During a pre-launch test this morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft was sitting on a launchpad ahead of a scheduled launch this Saturday to take an AMOS-6 communications satellite into orbit for the Israeli company Spacecom. That satellite is a joint effort between Facebook and France's Eutelsat to provide internet connectivity to 14 African countries. Some reports indicated that the explosion shook office buildings some distance away.
A supernova once blasted the moon with radioactive iron
Stars are gigantic hydrogen bombs that normally produce helium with little fuss. When the hydrogen is all gone, however, they implode, causing exotic new elements to be formed by the massive gravitational pressure. If a star is just the right size (eight to 15 times our sun's mass), it will go supernova, ejecting heavy, often unique isotopes into space. Researchers have found some of those isotopes on the moon, meaning that our solar system was once hit by dust from a supernova just a few hundred light years away.
NASA photos show the Antares rocket explosion in gritty detail
When Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket exploded last year, your only real view at the time was a grainy video. However, you should now have a much better sense of what happened: NASA has posted large photos from the failed launch on Flickr. They not only show the incident in exceptional (almost uncomfortable) detail, but do a better job of illustrating the magnitude of what happened. This was a very large vehicle coming down very quickly, and the impact enveloped much of the launch site in fire and smoke.
Boeing's 'plasma shields' would block explosion shockwaves
"Captain, magnetic seals in the anti-matter chamber are decaying!" "Shields up!" Now that we have that out of our systems, let's start by saying that unlike a Star Trek-style deflector, Boeing's plasma "shield" could never block shells or bullets, let alone anti-matter explosions. But if its patent "for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc" ever amounts to anything, it'd still be a technological tour de force. The idea is to harness electrical energy to stop or slow down the shockwaves created by explosions, which can do just as much damage as shrapnel.
Unmanned Orbital Sciences Antares rocket explodes on liftoff (video)
The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket attempted to take off this evening at the Wallops Flight Facility (yesterday's attempt was scrubbed due to a boat that wandered into a restricted area), but it exploded just six seconds after launching. In a tweet Orbital Sciences confirmed a "vehicle anomaly", and NASA says the company is evaluating the mission. There was no crew on board as it was intended to be Orbital's third unmanned resupply mission for the ISS, carrying some 5,000 lbs of food, supplies and science experiments, like the Radiometer Atmospheric CubeSat Experiment (RACE) and 26 Flock 1d satellites from Planet Labs. One thing that was not onboard was the Kickstarter-backed ARKYD telescope -- this mission was carrying an A3 spacecraft intended to test out the equipment that ARKYD will use next year. Orbital Sciences is the second private company -- after SpaceX -- that runs missions to the ISS, and its Cygnus spacecraft made the first successful delivery about a year ago. NASA's live stream from the launch pad is embedded after the break, as well as a video replay of the failed launch. Update: Orbital Sciences says it has "formed an anomaly investigation board" to figure out what went wrong. EVP Frank Culbertson said that while the company focuses on the safety and security of those involved in recovery operations, "As soon as we understand the cause we will begin the necessary work to return to flight to support our customers and the nation's space program." NASA and Orbital are planning a press conference that will begin at 8:45PM ET, streaming on NASA TV. You can watch here, or in the embedded player after the break. Update 2: During the press conference, NASA said that the ISS is in good shape regarding its consumables (food, water), with supplies that will last into "well into" next year, perhaps as far as March. If anyone finds debris from the explosion they should stay away from it and call 757-824-1295 to pick it up. Orbital's Culbertson stated that right now, what they know is the same thing we've all seen on video. The ascent stopped, and there was "some disassembly" of the first stage, before the range safety officer sent the command to self-destruct.
Harvard soft robot explodes into action, jumps 30 times its height (video)
Harvard University has pushed its soft robot concept in strange directions, but an exploding robot? That takes the cake. A new three-legged, silicone-based variant of the robot is filled with methane and oxygen that, when jolted with electricity, explode and trigger violent pressure that pushes the limbs off the ground. As you'd imagine, the results weren't exactly timid during testing -- the example robot jumped over 30 times its body height, and it would have jumped higher if not for additional tubing holding it down in the lab. The power easily eclipses that of pure air, and could be vital to rescue robots or other public safety machines that could very literally leap to someone's aid. Don't anticipate exploding automatons on the streets anytime soon. We'll just be glad that, if they do arrive, they'll be trying to help us rather than kill us.
Morpheus lander crashes, burns and explodes in untethered flight test, NASA remains optimistic (video)
As noisy as we found Project Morpheus' tethered flight test, its untethered follow-up was far, far louder. Yesterday, the experimental lander suffered a hardware component failure, which NASA says "prevented it from maintaining stable flight." This caused it to crash into the ground and well, explode. On the upside, the space agency says that these kinds of failures were anticipated, stating that they are a normal part of the development process and will be used to build better systems moving forward. You didn't think Curiosity made its touchdown on Mars without learning from a few mistakes, did you? Click onwards to check out the test -- and its aftermath -- in 5, 4, 3, 2, er...
US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data
Starting next month, around one thousand frontline personnel in Afghanistan will begin testing the Soldier Body Unit, a sensor kit for recording the effects of explosions on the human body. While that's not the most pleasant of subjects, the blast sensors have been rushed out to collect as much data as possible before soldiers head home in 2014. The US Army's Rapid Equipping Force and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, which developed the sensors, hope to gather info on concussions and traumatic brain injuries to improve aftercare. This will also be used at source to stop super-soldiers heading back out after a concussion and increasing the probability of an even worse injury. Further sensors will be carried on military vehicles, to help measure the effects of IED blasts on passengers. Adding two pounds in extra equipment probably won't make the Soldier Body Unit too popular, but it's thought the kit could weigh in at half a pound once it's been refined.
Samsung finds exploding Galaxy S III was due to 'external source', owner says it was a 'mistake'
Remember the melted Samsung Galaxy S III that surfaced in an Irish forum a few weeks ago? Samsung said they were looking into it and, along with a third party investigation, have decided it occurred as a result of "external energy" being applied to the device, not anything from within the phone itself. The damage is apparently consistent with the phone going in the microwave. The original poster dillo2k10 has posted an update on Boards.ie, indicating it was a mistake by someone else in an attempt to recover the phone after it got wet. The Samsung Tomorrow post linked cites a report from Fire Investigations UK finding that the phone itself was not responsible for generating the heat that caused the damage, so GSIII owners (and the pockets of their skinny jeans) should be able to breathe easier.
USPS goes postal on lithium ion batteries, refuses to ship smartphones overseas
The USPS has announced that it'll refuse to ship any gear containing lithium ion batteries overseas. The postal service believes combusting power packs have caused two fatal cargo plane crashes since 2006 -- hence the ban, which takes effect from May 16th. Anyone wishing to ship the latest tech to those living or serving overseas will have to use another shipping company -- although the ban might be relaxed in 2013, once safety testing has been carried out.
Explosion at Apple supplier injures 57 workers
The welfare of Chinese workers is back in the spotlight after an explosion at Shanghai-based Riteng Computer Accessory Company left 23 people in hospital with burns and another 34 with more minor injuries. Local government officials said the explosion happened on Saturday afternoon at a workshop on the fourth floor of the facility. Riteng is a subsidiary supplier to Pegatron Corp and the Chinese newspaper Yi Cai Daily reported it was in the middle of trial production of aluminum iPad 2 back panels. A separate explosion at a Foxconn factory back in Spring was attributed to poor extraction of combustible aluminum dust.
iPhone 4 combusts on Australian flight, looks madder than a spurned Qantas employee
On an airline that's actually serving the great country of Australia these days, an iPhone 4 decided enough was enough. Shortly after Regional Express flight ZL319 landed in Sydney from Lismore, "a passenger's mobile phone started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow." What happened next is a bit of an Aussie mystery, but it seems at some point that the glow was "extinguished successfully." No one onboard was harmed, and the handset in question has been handed over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for "analysis." It suffered only mild reception issues prior to its final collapse, and if faced with a similar situation, Siri reportedly stated that it would consult a therapist before discharging hot fury. Update: Ross let us know that officials from the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau are investigating the incident.
Tiny 'jumping robots' have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5
Perhaps calling an immobile plastic bug with explosives strapped to its underside a "jumping robot" is a bit of a stretch, but who are we to argue with the Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland. The two groups have collaborated to create a pair of "robots" that measure just a few millimeters in size but can jump several centimeters in the air. One uses a spring like mechanism (which an operator must press down with a pair of tweezers) to propel it, while the other uses a small rocket, which can be triggered either by current applied over wires or a phototransistor (for untethered flight). It all makes for a pretty neat video, which you can find after the break - even if your sister's Furby was more robot than these tiny things.
Foxconn sees financial drop after plant explosion
Foxconn saw a large drop in revenue after the explosion at its Chendgu plant last month, according to Digitimes. Foxconn's May revenues dropped 2.14 percent month-over-month to US$6.95 billion. The revenue fall off was a direct result of the explosion, according to the company. The explosion that killed three workers on the 20th of May is thought to have been set off when aluminum dust used in a polishing process was accidentally ignited. Just hours after the explosion, Apple issued a statement saying it was working closely with Foxconn to find out what caused the event. The plant closed for almost two weeks after the explosion before reopening on June 2. There has been no word yet on the official results of Apple's or Foxconn's investigations, but the Chinese government has urged Foxconn to ensure worker safety in light of the tragedy.
Blast at Intel's Arizona plant injures seven, investigation under way
Yesterday afternoon, a blast occurred at Intel's Arizona plant just outside Phoenix, injuring seven people with one suffering from severe burns. According to Phoenix Business Journal, the incident took place in a solvent waste treatment room at Fab 22 -- not far from Fab 32 which will be manufacturing 22nm chips -- but Intel Vice President Josh Walden assured us that "there was no damage or release of chemicals to the community," and production has already resumed in both facilities. The company is currently looking into the possible causes of this accident -- you'll know it when we have an update, and we wish the victims a quick recovery. [Image courtesy of neepster]
Foxconn plant reopens, resumes operations following explosion
Foxconn confirmed today that its manufacturing plant in Chengdu, China has reopened and resumed operations following an explosion in its iPad 2 production facility last month that killed three employees and left others in hospital. The company has also announced that while its investigation into the incident is "ongoing," it has already addressed the preliminary finding that the explosion was "likely due to an explosion of aluminum dust in a ventilation duct." To that end, it says it has put in place "improvements in workshop ventilation," as well as a "a total revamping of the policies and practices related to the disposal of that dust." All Things D has the company's complete statement at the link below.
China urges Foxconn to ensure worker safety
It's been another rough week for Foxconn, Apple's biggest manufacturing partner. After an explosion at a Foxconn factory killed three workers last Friday, the Chinese government urged the manufacturer and other Taiwanese companies to better ensure the safety of their employees. "We hope Foxconn and other Taiwanese firms can learn lessons from this, carry out safety responsibilities, step up internal oversight, stamp out potential safety risks in a timely manner, and ensure safe production," Fan Liqing, a spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday. Friday's deadly explosion rocked a Foxconn polishing workshop in Chengdu, a city in southwest China, where workers put the finishing touches on electronic products for many of the world's largest brands, including Apple. Immediately after the blast, the local government began rescue efforts and an investigation into its cause. So far, investigators believe the explosion was the result of a "production safety accident," according to Fan, who didn't go into further details about the cause of the incident. Previous reports suggest that combustible dust in the polishing workshop ignited to fuel the blast. In response to the incident, Foxconn has temporarily suspended operations at all of its workshops that polish electronics in China and, according to Fan, the manufacturer pledged to "make an all out effort" to treat the injured workers, reassure the families of their employees, and remove hidden safety risks "in accordance with relevant requirements."
Foxconn confirms third death from explosion, earlier watchdog report points at aluminum dust (updated)
Following the tragic explosion at Foxconn's Chengdu plant on Friday, the company has now confirmed to All Things Digital the death of a third employee, with nine remaining in hospital. While investigation is still ongoing, initial findings are pointing at "an explosion of combustible dust in a duct" at one of the polishing workshops, which supports earlier rumors of dust explosion; though there's no confirmation on what caused the ignition just yet. In related news: two weeks before the fatal accident, watchdog group SACOM released a report on the welfare of workers at the new Chengdu plant. Amongst the uncovering of management issues, excessive working hours, and hazardous environment, PC World highlights complaints from workers about the large amount of aluminum dust -- which is highly explosive -- floating around the polishing department, thus suggesting a lack of proper dust extraction methods within the facility. Foxconn has previously slammed this report, but the outcome of this explosion's investigation should once and for all prove who's telling the truth. For now, though, the priority is to make sure the victims and their families are taken care of. Full statement from Foxconn after the break. Update: According to China Times' industry sources, the explosion has only affected some storage facilities and chemical coating lines, though Foxconn president Terry Gou is said to be reallocating some production to his Shenzhen plant as a just-in-case measure.
