The unfortunate journey of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 continues and the latest battle is going has Samsung going up against holdouts who do not want to give up their devices. Samsung has recalled and urged users to power down their Note7 and return them straight away. Samsung has even offered $100 credit for returning your Note7 for another Samsung device and a $25 credit if exchanged for another brand. There have been countless signs that this device is dangerous and dead. Even the major U.S. cell carriers stopped selling them completely and offered free replacement devices. Now the Department of Transportation (DOT) has banned the device from all U.S. flights and that could put a wrench in someone’s day.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), today announced it is issuing an emergency order to ban all Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone devices from air transportation in the United States. Individuals who own or possess a Samsung Galaxy Note7 device may not transport the device on their person, in carry-on baggage, or in checked baggage on flights to, from, or within the United States. This prohibition includes all Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices. The phones also cannot be shipped as air cargo. The ban will be effective on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at noon ET.
“We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.”
I wrote an editorial the other day concerning Mashable editor Josh Dickey’s choice to keep his Samsung Galaxy Note7 in which I mention that Samsung should OTA brick all remaining Note7’s. With this latest move by the DOT, FAA, and PHMSA we could be getting closer to that drastic measure. Samsung could start by annoying you with popups and text messages urging you to return your portable bomb, but eventually they may very well have to completely disable all remaining Note7’s.
Earlier this week Apteligent was reporting that Note7 usage was higher than ever but the company has updated it’s data as of late Thursday showing that usage is dropping. That’s a great thing, I think most common sense people are getting it. The device isn’t only a hazard to you but it is a hazard to those around you, which is exactly why the DOT and FAA have taken the complete ban measure.
I think the common sense advice across the board has been to return this device if you have it. I’m still calling an over-the-air (OTA) software brick from Samsung in the near future. Samsung is giving everyone an out right now, take it, otherwise you just might end up with a very pricey paperweight.
Did or do you have a Note7? Have you returned it? If not, why not? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-bans-all-samsung-galaxy-note7-phones-airplanes” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: DOT[/button]Last Updated on January 23, 2017.
Comments are closed.