Galaxy Note 7: Owners
advised not to use on planes
Airline passengers have been warned by US authorities not to
switch on or charge their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones when on board the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also
advised against packing the phones into any checked-in luggage.
Samsung recalled the phone last week after reports emerged of
the device exploding during or after charging.
Qantas and Virgin Australia have also told customers not to
charge or use the phone during flights.
Samsung said it would speed up shipments of replacement Galaxy
Note 7 phones to ease safety concerns.
Earlier this week, US TV channel
Fox 10 reported claims that a faulty Galaxy Note 7 had set fire to a family's Jeep.
Battery problems
Samsung has said that battery problems were behind the phones
catching fire, but that it was difficult to work out which phones were affected
among those sold.
"In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by
Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration
strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board
aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage," the FAA said.
Following Samsung's recall of its Galaxy Note 7, Qantas said on
Thursday it was "requesting that passengers who own [the devices] do not
switch on or charge them in-flight."
The phone was launched last month and has been otherwise
generally well-received by consumers and critics.
Some 2.5 million Note 7s have been shipped globally.
Samsung has said customers who
have already bought the phone will be able to swap it for a new one and that
it would take about two weeks to prepare replacement devices.
Analysis: Dave Lee, BBC North
America technology reporter
This is precautionary advice and not understood to be in
reaction to any incident on a plane.
But it does continue the headache for Samsung - even once the
company goes through the motions of getting the device recalled, the Note 7
will forever be the exploding smartphone.
This is not the first time the FAA has warned about the dangers
of lithium batteries on flights. Earlier this year, it urged airlines to assess
the risk of transporting lithium batteries as cargo.
And the administration also insists that any spare lithium
battery be kept with the passenger rather than kept with luggage in the hold -
though as a person who regularly travels with big lithium batteries for camera
equipment, I can tell you this is inconsistently enforced.
The US trade group Airlines for America said it was
"closely monitoring" the Note 7 issue and that carriers in the US
would make their own ruling over the use of the phone on board.
"Each individual carrier makes determinations, in
compliance with FAA safety rules and regulations, as to what is permitted to be
carried on board and in the cargo hold," an Airlines for America
spokesperson said in a statement.
South Korea-listed shares of Samsung Electronics were down close
to 3% in early Friday trade.
____________________________________________________________________________
Opinion:
Many people in the world use smart phones and these are the
common means of communication. Two of the companies that rival each other are
Samsung and Apple. These companies strive for better technology and inventions.
However, when Samsung made the Galaxy note 7, there was a problem in the
invention. The battery exploded when the phone was charged for a long time. Due
to the explosions and the danger caused by the Galaxy note 7 batteries, some
airlines banned the phone to be used while boarded. I think this article is
directed towards the phone users and also to the company, Samsung. This article
tells this particular phone users to change their phones for they are dangerous
not only to the person who is using it but also to the people around if they
are. I also personally think that since apple is sort of like a rival to
Samsung, the Apple Company would use this article for degrading the Samsung Company.
I think that the author of this article is trying to shame the phone companies
that they are only focused on who is better in technology instead of doing it
more for the better of people. I could be wrong but I personally think that the
author wants to give the companies more thought to what they invent or
improve.
