Qualcomm Announces New X50 5G Modem, First Gigabit Class LTE Network and Router

Qualcomm made three announcements about connectivity products today at its 2016 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong. The first announcement, aimed at easing the transition between the 4G LTE networks we have today and the 5G networks of the future, is a partner…

Update: Samsung Officially Halts All Note7 Sales & Exchanges, Now Recalling All Devices

Update 10/13: After earlier asking customers to stop using the Note7, today the company has expanded the matter to a full recall in the United States. All Note7s, originals and replacements, are now being recalled by the company. As most users are expected to want to swap to another phone, the actual processing of the recall is being handled by both Samsung (for direct sales customers), and retailers/carriers for remaining customers.

Meanwhile, along with the refunds/partial rebates being offered by retailers to either cover the cost of the phone or the price difference between it and its replacement, Samsung has also announced that they are expanding their US bill credit program. In short, customers who stay with Samsung will receive a $100 bill credit, while customers who replace their Note7 with another manufacturer’s phone or opt for a full refund will receive a $25 bill credit.

U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program

Under the terms of the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program, you have the following choices and can take these next steps beginning October 13, 2016 at 3pm ET:

1. Exchange your current Galaxy Note7 for any Samsung smartphone and replacement of any Galaxy Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices
2. Obtain a refund at your point of purchase

In addition, you may be eligible for additional incentives described below:

What if I want to exchange my Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung smartphone?

As a sign of our appreciation for your patience and loyalty, we are offering up to a $100 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets if you exchange your Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung smartphone, less any incentive credits already received.

What if I already exchanged my Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung smartphone?

If you already exchanged your Galaxy Note7 device for another Samsung smartphone, you will receive up to a $75 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets in addition to the $25 you previously received.

What if I want a refund for my Galaxy Note7?

If you choose to obtain a refund, you will receive up to a $25 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets as a token of our appreciation and acknowledgement of your inconvenience, less any incentive credits already received.

What if I want to exchange my Galaxy Note7 for another brand of smartphone?

If you choose to exchange your Galaxy Note7 for another brand of smartphone, you will receive up to a $25 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets as a token of our appreciation and acknowledgement of your inconvenience, less any incentive credits already received.

Update 10/12: Seemingly set to put an end to this saga, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Samsung has informed South Korean regulators that it intends to permanently cease production of the phone. Given the issues Samsung has experienced, it goes without saying that this is not surprising, and this will mean that the Note7 will not get a third shot in the market.

Samsung made it official today that it is suspending all sales and exchanges of its beleaguered Galaxy Note7 smartphone, and it is also asking all partners to do the same.

After reports of several phones catching on fire after it initially went on sale, Samsung initiated a global recall while it investigated the source of the problem, which traced the issue to defective batteries from a specific supplier (Samsung sources batteries from more than one supplier). With the problem seemingly solved, Samsung initiated an exchange program where customers could trade in their defective Note7s for new, supposedly safe, ones or a new Galaxy S7 or S7 edge instead.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for fresh reports of battery fires to surface. Several of the replacement Note7s have caught fire too, including one that forced a Southwest Airlines flight in Louisville, Kentucky to be evacuated on October 5th. Another replacement Note7 caught fire in a Farmington, Minnesota girl’s hand on October 7th.

Here’s Samsung’s official statement:

We are working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.

 

We remain committed to working diligently with the CPSC, carriers and our retail partners to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 should power down and take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase. For more information, consumers should visit samsung.com/us/note7recall or contact 1-844-365-6197.

These new incidents suggest that the Note7’s issue is not limited to a single battery supplier like Samsung first thought. The Note7 is clearly a safety risk at this point, and we recommend that anyone that currently owns a Note7 heed Samsung’s advice and immediately power down the device and store it in a fire-safe location until it can be returned or exchanged.

Microsoft Adds HP Elite x3 Smartphone to Windows Store, $799

Microsoft has begun to sell HP’s Elite x3 smartphone at its Windows Store. The handset is one of the most powerful Windows 10 Mobile-based devices and the one of a few initially aimed at the business professionals on a company contract. The fact that Microsoft has started to sell the HP Elite x3 indicates that the smartphone is now available to general consumers as well.

Microsoft sells unlocked HP’s Elite x3 at it MSRP of $799, which is much higher than the price of typical Windows smartphones. The handset comes with its Continuum desk dock that features an Ethernet adapter, as well as DisplayPort USB connectors, and can work with desktop displays as well as keyboards. Meanwhile, neither Microsoft nor HP currently offer the Elite x3 Lap Dock device, which can transform the Elite x3 smartphone into a laptop.

The HP Elite x3 smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC and is currently the only Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile-based smartphone to use the chip. The device is equipped a 5.96” AMOLED display and comes with 64 MB of eMMC 5.1 NAND flash storage, 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM as well as all the necessary connectivity features, including 4G/LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a USB Type-C connector. Developed specifically for enterprise and business users, who value security, the HP Elite x3 is FIPS 140-2 certified and features Secure Boot (with iris and fingerprint scanners), full disk encryption with a 256-bit key, fTPM 2.0, and so on. The smartphone from HP also takes advantage of Microsoft’s Continuum technology, which allows you to run your phone as a desktop PC.

At present, the HP Elite x3 has no rivals in the price range because it is the only Windows 10 smartphone that sells for $799. In the Continuum space, the HP Elite x3 competes against Acer’s Liquid Jade Primo as well as Microsoft’s own Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, which are available for $449, $399 and $499 respectively.