Samsung Galaxy Note death hits users hard

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Yes, you heard that right. Samsung is asking owners of its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 to do something crazy: “Power down and stop using the device.”

In an age when smartphones have become extensions of ourselves, the last thing we look at before falling asleep and the first thing we grab in the morning, this is all but unthinkable, even at the dinner table, even on the toilet.

Risking a battery fire might seem like a small price to pay for obsessively checking your latest Instagram “likes,” catching up on email, Skyping your grandkids across the country, getting directions, confirming your travel itinerary, reading the news, searching for a dinner recipe, hailing a ride and so on.

For those traveling with children, a long flight without a smartphone to serve as distraction is akin to torture.

Power down and stop using the device? You might as well go live in a cave in a distant mountain (if you can get there, since you no longer have GPS).

Adam Siemaszko, who returned his Note 7 to a Best Buy in Manhattan, said a co-worker was kind enough to lend him an old iPhone 5S until he can get a new one. He decided to get the new Pixel phone from Google, as he’s lost his trust in Samsung. But there’s a five- to six-week wait.

“Being phoneless is awful,” he said.