RSSTrapped motorist triggers nationwide LG handset recall
By Tim Conneally | Published February 27, 2009, 11:24 AM
Today, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of 30,000 LG 830 "Spyder" handsets for an inability to maintain a connection to 911.
The recall is based on a report to the commission of a motorist trapped in a disabled car who attempted to dial 911 for help. The phone was unable to keep a usable connection to the emergency service, dropped the call, and could not establish a GPS lock to locate the distressed individual.
Spyder handsets with software version T83LGV03 and T83LGV04 were sold through a number of smaller regional carriers in the US, including: Cellular South, Cellcom, Bluegrass Cellular, Centennial de Puerto Rico, Appalachian Wireless, Illinois Valley Cellular, Northwest Missouri Cellular, Inland Cellular, Leaco, Golden State Cellular, Thumb Cellular, Silver Star Communications, and Nex-Tech Wireless.
The point here is that the "phone was unable to keep a usable connection" and "dropped the call". This has been the carriers biggest marketing point for years. Also, a lot of people have canceled their land line service and use their cell phones as their home phone.Though I believe you should also have a land line with minimum service because there are situations when only a land line can be used.
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|Yeah, really. Who uses "phones" to make phone calls anymore? I guess that's not what they are made for anymore. If you can't call 911 or make reliable calls with it then it shouldn't be called a phone....call it what it really is: a personal/portable media player. I believe that it is required that all cell phones be able to at least call 911 for emergencies.
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|*laughing*
Sorry. It's not an emergency communication device. (Hey, guess what, neither is your home phone...guess what happens when you house gets hit by lightning or there is a major storm causing outages...no 911)
"I believe that it is required that all cell phones be able to at least call 911 for emergencies."
If they are in an area covered by the phone's service. If no service, no 911. Doesn't take a genius to figure this stuff out, guys.
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|Actually ... it is a requirement for a phone to be able to be used for emergencies at all times ( granted it is capable of making a call ... a crushed phone for example would not be required to do so ).
The rediculous notion that in a lightning storm where the phone cannot make a call ( due to the fact that it simply could not perform its function in any manner ) is absurd.
Basically if the phone is capable of placing a call, as this phone was, then it should be able to keep the call connected , as this phone could not( to 911 ... not a random number ). That is why it is recalled. Not because it was out of service area.
Latz, SB
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|That requirement is whether the phone has paid service or not, not whether it's in a serviceable area or not.
If you are on the edge of the service area, there's no hope for it...calls will be dropped. Normal ones *and* "emergency" ones.
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|Someone never heard of OnStar?
There are devices and services *made* for this kind of situation. Cell Phones are *not* among those.
Some people are just too stupid to live...
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|I believe On Star is for GM vehicles only. So if the motorist is driving a Non GM car, then he cannot get the On Star service, last time I checked.
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|OnStar is the name of the day for that specific type of service. Such service are available nearly universally at this point in time.
The point, which was again completely missed, is that one is designed for emergency services, the other....is not.
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|Will this lead to a law about the signal quality within mobile communication network worldwide or at least in US? Not in 20 years.
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|...and why should it?
It's a portable phone, ffs.
NOT an emergency communication device. Neither is your home phone. Get over it.
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|Gee, sounds like the experience I had with AT&T/Cingular from my house! Where I had to go outside to make a call, and better yet, to sit in my car as it acted as a sympathetic antenna to boost effective signal strength.
I have a list of Nokia phones that, according to this criteria should have been recalled. Especially as it was due to the network coverage density and design where the REAL problem lies.
Maybe folks expecting this to serve as a replacement for their "Help Me! I've fallen and I can't get up" service should instead subscribe to a monitored security service designed to provide such functionality.
So I guess now, with such a precedent, we should be installing security and personal monitoring systems that dial our cell phone, as the onus of reporting is on the cell provider (or, make that the cell phone manufacturer).
Now all we need is for the guy to sue so we can see if there is legal precedent estabished in the civil courts for liability and damages.
The implicaions and ramifications of this case are rather startling when you follow how many other industries can use this as precedence.
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|You don't say.... [rolleyes]
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|Hey look!
Evidence that given enough time a monkey can indeed type a combination/permutation of letters that actually form words!
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|True. Though it does seem we're still quite a bit away from seeing complete sentences yet.
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|"RUMOUR. Open your ears;" said the monkey generator.
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