VIRAL: Woman claims Samsung S7 Edge went up in smoke in Antipolo

MANILA - A woman has claimed her Samsung S7 Edge phone went up in smoke, causing panic at a beauty salon in Antipolo City.

Makeup artist Weng Briones, 36, posted photos of the charred gold phone on Facebook, which has been shared over 13,000 times.

Samsung is in the middle of a recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones, a larger stylus-equipped version of the S7 Edge, due to overheating and exploding batteries.

The South Korean electronics giant has not admitted to defects on the S7 Edge and S7 phones, which were released ahead of the Note 7.

Briones said her 16-year-old daughter was tweeting on her phone when the handset heated up and started emitting smoke.

"Natakot kaming lahat naglabasan lahat ng nasa loob ng salon [We were all so scared so we went out of the salon]," she told ABS-CBNNews.com.

Panicked salon patrons splashed water on the phone. A female staff then covered it up with a wet towel then stepped on it, she said.

"Puro smoke lang po tapos kusang bumuka yung phone dahil lumobo na yung battery [It was all smoke then the phone broke because the battery became swollen]," she said.

Briones she said she brought the unit to the Samsung store in SM Tatay, which initially offered to replace her phone for free.

"Sabi ko gusto ko ng refund kasi kung papalitan lang din nila. Ganun pa rin. Andun pa rin yung fear ko na maulit. They did not resist naman. Sabi lang nila na tatawag sila sa main office. Then after a rew minutes ay inabot na nila sa kin yung pera. P39,990," she said.

[I said I want a refund because they would just replace it again. I was afraid that it would happen again. They didn't resist and said they would just contact he main office. After a few minutes, they gave me P39,990.]

Store staff did not explain why the phone overheated and emitted smoke said Briones. But on the same night, the company's marketing head told her that they would investigate the matter, she said.

ABS-CBNNews.com is still trying to contact Samsung as of posting time.


In the United States, a man named Daniel Ramirez has sued the company after he sustained second and third-degree burns from the S7 allegedly exploding in his pocket, said the Tech Times.


In the United Kingdom, a woman named Sarah Crockett also said her S7 blew up while she was inside a cafe. Samsung said there were "no known safety issues" with the device but that it would investigate what happened, according to The Sun.

source:  www.abs-cbnnews.com

Future Perfect: 4 gadgets that may be worth your money

After they were revealed in Barcelona, several new gadgets are set to hit Philippine markets and here's a rundown of what to expect.

Manila Bulletin's Art Samaniego Jr. talked to Tony Velasquez to sample the new iPad Pro, Acer Jade Primo, Samsung S7 and S7 Edge, and iPhone SE.

Apple has said the iPad Pro is more than just an upgrade of the iPad as it rivals the capacity of a personal computer (PC). It was touted to be the it-gadget for graphic designers as it came with the Apple Pencil. It was also compatible with the Smart Keyboard for users to type more efficiently.

Now, they have introduced a version that comes in a nifty 9.7" package, quite like the original iPad.

Like it's predecessor, the 9.7-inch tablet has a an A9 processor and an M9 motion co-processor.

Compared to the normal iPad, the new tablet produces richer sound quality with its four speakers--one on each corner. Apple has also improved its rear camera, going from 8MP to 12MP.

It is also equipped with True Tone technology, which uses light sensors to adjust the display to maintain consistent colors in a variety of environments.

According to Samaniego, "for sketching, the bigger is better. The iPad Pro 9.7 is for people who love the idea of the iPad Pro, but wants the size of the original iPad plus better camera"





Now here's a quirky idea for the mobile generation: a phone that can be your PC's Central Processing Unit (CPU).

Because it runs on Windows 10, the Acer Liquid Jade Primo is almost literally a handy PC because it supports Microsoft's feature called "Continuum." This means that with a specialized dock, you can connect it to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and it will run basic Windows apps.

The Primo carries a 21MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. It also has a 5.5” full HD AMOLED screen, Qualcomm hexa-core processor, 3GB RAM, and 32GB internal storage.

It is not graphics-intensive, and Samaniego said it's not compatible for video editing, so one must not put his hopes up too high.

But he added, "many people don’t like to store their data in the Cloud—they’re afraid of security, they want it in their possession. This is one of the solutions."

The phone will sell at P25,000 but the dock and keyboard will be sold separately.



The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are the latest offerings from the Korean tech giant.

S7 and S7 Edge have Quad HD super AMOLED display measuring 5.5” and 5.1” respectively. Both phones have cameras with 90% improvement from previous models.

Pre-ordered S7 and S7 Edge was bundled with Samsung's virtual reality headset, the Gear VR.

"It’s an improved version of the [Google] Cardboard which you have featured a long time ago. This one now has easier controls," he said pertaining to the touch pad located at the headset's side.

The Oculus app has to installed on the phone, then it must be docked into a slot in the headset for you to enjoy the 360 experience.

The Gear VR supports only Samsung Note 5, S6, S6 Edge, S7, and S7 Edge but the headgear may be bought separately for P4,000.


Apple recently backtracked and released a smaller phone in the form of the iPhone SE (Special Edition).

Samaniego described it as a phone "with 5S body with 6S specs" and added that this could be a good phone for first-time iPhone users.

The SE shares the 6S' 12MP rear camera and retina display but not its 3D touch feature.

While the 6S sells at $649, the SE will sell at $399.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Samsung plans initial production of 5-M Galaxy S7 phones: report

SEOUL - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world's top smartphone maker, plans an initial production run of about 5 million of its upcoming Galaxy S7 smartphones, South Korea's Electronic Times reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

The paper said Samsung is planning to launch two different versions of its new flagship smartphone: a 5.2-inch flat-screen version, and a 5.5-inch, curved-screen version that will be called the 'Galaxy S7 edge'.

Samsung plans to initially make 3.3 million of the flat-screen devices and around 1.6 million of the curved-screen version, the report said, with plans to launch the handset in February.

A Samsung Electronics spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com