1. Samsung is putting safety ahead of profits by recalling its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone amid reports of explosive batteries. Roughly 35 people said their phones caught fire during or after charging. More than 2 million of the phones have already been sold and Samsung is offering to replace any that are returned.
Samsung sourced batteries for the Note 7 from several suppliers and is not blaming any one source for the bad batteries. There have been no reports of serious injuries so far.
The Note 7 features a state-of-the-art smart stylus and a retina recognition technology that allows users to unlock the phone by looking at it. The device is expected to return to the market, but not before Samsung’s competitors launch their fall flagships. The iPhone 7 is expected next week, and Google is reportedly preparing to launch two new smartphones called the Pixel and the Pixel XL.
2. AT&T will pilot an “internet of things” network this fall in San Francisco. The carrier is partnering with IoT module maker Sierra Wireless to pilot a network using LTE for machines. LTE for machines, or LTE-M, is a 3GPP standard that can be implemented using Category 0, Category 1, or Category M1 chipsets, according to Ericsson.
AT&T is promoting LTE-M as a relatively inexpensive, low-power wide-area network technology. The carrier is launching LTE-M in one of the same cities targeted by Sigfox, a French company that is trying to build a dedicated IoT network in the U.S. Mobile operators are eager to move IoT connections to their LTE networks before these dedicated networks gain too much traction. Operators also need to migrate their existing IoT customers away from 2G networks, which are set to be shut down.
According to AT&T, devices connected via LTE-M will be able to operate for up to 10 years on a single AA battery. The company also said LTE-M also offers better penetration in-building than traditional LTE.
AT&T plans to launch LTE-M on its network next year. Just yesterday, Verizon Wireless said it hopes to launch Category M1 chipsets for IoT applications this year.
3. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is reportedly trying to sell its software business for more than $8 billion. According to Reuters, buyout firm Thoma Bravo is currently the highest bidder and may be willing to pay more than other private equity buyers because it already owns two software companies that could provide synergies with the HPE unit.
4. Facebook launched live video sharing today. Users of Facebook’s Messenger app will be able to add video messages once they have already started a text conversation with a contact. The video will start without sound, but users will have the option to add audio.
5. Wednesday is launch day for Apple’s fall device lineup. Sept. 7th seems like a logical day to launch an iPhone 7, and it also continues Apple’s recent trend of launching new iPhones during CTIA. Apple is expected to introduce a new iPhone, a new Apple Watch and iOS 10.
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