[jowry]

I own a Curve 8530, which has been replaced once due to an EXTEME heating problem, which, if I hadn't pulled the battery, could have easily caused a fire. I had shut it down (or so I thought), then picked it up a few minutes later, and the back of the case was so hot that it was painful to the skin! I pulled the battery, took it to the local carrier store, and they admitted that some Curves have had a problem with the charging circuit, in which it goes into some sort of loop, causing the battery to die, and extreme heat. Of course, heat is the worst enemy of digital technology, so I demanded that the local store replace the unit with a new one, which they did (Blackberry stood behind their product). I haven't had a problem since, with either original batteries, or third-party ones. It was definitely a problem with a select number of Curves.

[bk1022]

This a link to the most recent story I could find, Boy burned as BlackBerry phone 'bursts into flames' - Telegraph

It doesn't say anything new but to confirm that local officials are investigating the problem and so is RIM.

I imagine that since a lawsuit will be forthcoming that no useful information will be available. Because this happened in the UK I'd assume the product was real. I'd also assume the battery was OEM because it wouldn't have needed replacement yet.

Both my BB phone and my playbook have on more than one occaision have gotten hotter than I would have deemed appropriate but I was around to turn them off. Because of that I have always put them on hard flat surfaces and never cover them. You just never know.

[BBThemes]

and they say in that article that the council told them to keep the phone, and now they suddnely dont have the phone to give to RIM to investigate. strange gets even stranger

[Jerky223]

and they say in that article that the council told them to keep the phone, and now they suddnely dont have the phone to give to RIM to investigate. strange gets even stranger

Something is fishy. Mother wants a recall but doesn't give the evidence to RIM to investigate.
To me, if you're looking to sue RIM and the device, battery and charger are official BlackBerry accessories, give them up and save the lives of others. You'll still get your payout if they are real. If they are fake and now lost them, hmm.

I'll be waiting for updates on this story.

[nfld_sapper]

Call me skeptical but doesn't the destroyed Curve 9320 look a little small compared to an undamaged Curve 9320?

[houshinto#IM]

Much ado about something that may not even credible if not merely an acute case.

They should be compensated but a recall is totally unwarranted. All smartphone manufacturers have had complaints of fires/combustion yet nothing is done.

Any enforcement of a recall should be applied retro-actively across all manufacturers over similar acute cases. (ie. SGIII and iPhone)

[nfld_sapper]

And here is another version of the story:

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Allegedly Explodes On A Boy’s Bed, Setting It On Fire | TechCrunch

An 11-year-old boy named Kian McCreath from the UK says that a BlackBerry Curve 9320 exploded on his bed after being removed from the charger, leading the bed to erupt into flames and burn the boy�s legs. RIM is preparing to launch a full investigation into the matter once the family provides the phone and the charger accused of this tragic accident.

According to her interview with the Belfast Telegraph, mother Sarah McCreath had just unplugged the phone before putting it on her son�s bed.

�I thought nothing of it, made a cup of tea, then a heard a really loud �pop� sound,� Sarah told the Telegraph. �Kian started screaming at the top of his voice, shouting �My bed�s on fire!�.�

Kian has since been taken to the hospital, and his family is looking for a recall of the device from stores.

We�ve heard before about crappy Chinese knockoffs getting overheated and exploding, but I haven�t ever heard of something quite so gruesome. However, the family has yet to produce the allegedly dangerous handset and its charger, so it�s possible that something else started the fire.

Here�s what RIM has to say about it:

RIM takes claims of this nature very seriously and a senior member of our team met with the family today to initiate a full investigation into this matter. In order to proceed with this investigation, we require the products that were involved in this incident to be made available for a full technical review.

At this point in time, the family has not provided RIM with the battery or charger for analysis and have said they are unable to locate the device itself. We have a team on standby to conduct this investigation as a priority as soon as the family makes these products available to us.

RIM is committed to ensuring our products are safe and we invest significantly in R&D and testing to ensure we meet or exceed all regulatory standards here in the UK and around the world.

At least, for RIM�s sake, it wasn�t a BlackBerry Torch.

[bk1022]

and they say in that article that the council told them to keep the phone, and now they suddnely dont have the phone to give to RIM to investigate. strange gets even stranger

This is not strange. If something catches fire and one were planning to sue the manufacturer, it would be folly to grant access to the device unless compelled by law. Also, the Trading Standards Institute appears to be an industry lobby organization, and it may have SRO functions, but to be honest, I don't know what they do or whether I'd want to give them evidence for a lawsuit either. So unless anyone can clarify this fact, I wouldn't take it as strange if the family is not cooperative with them.

[BBThemes]

This is not strange. If something catches fire and one were planning to sue the manufacturer, it would be folly to grant access to the device unless compelled by law. Also, the Trading Standards Institute appears to be an industry lobby organization, and it may have SRO functions, but to be honest, I don't know what they do or whether I'd want to give them evidence for a lawsuit either. So unless anyone can clarify this fact, I wouldn't take it as strange if the family is not cooperative with them.

ok, so throwing aside my point on the last page of the family giving two completely seperate versions of events, lets examine the RIM statement, and the advice from Trading Standards (its an industry ombudsman).

from the telegraph artcile linked a few posts back

The family have since contacted Trading Standards, who have urged them to keep the mobile as evidence,

from RIM

At this point in time, the family has not provided RIM with the battery or charger for analysis and have said they are unable to locate the device itself.

the wording is very careful here, its clearly says `unable to locate` which im sure theyd be saying something different if `its with the families lawyers` or whatever. Not handing it over (even though you want a device recall apparently) would be within their right, but `unable to locate` is to me a totally different thing. for example i can locate my money, but im not handing it over to you.

[morlock_man]

I'd guess the battery is a cheap knock-off.

Or she accidentally stepped on it before she chucked it in on her kid's bed and doesn't want that part known.

[silversun10]

without the phone, what is RIM supposed to say or do? really nothing.........

[lnichols]

Not even off the charger???? You might be saving me from a dangerous habit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Off the charger, in your bed would be low risk, because shorts usually need some sort of event to happen to cause the short. But we have heard of peoples phones catching on fire in pockets, so it is still possible, and a risk. If you were playing the odds, then probably never happen, but personally in an age of cheaper electronics components, many from China (for some reason capacitors just suck anymore and blow way more than they used to), I simply wouldn't take the risk. In fact based on this story I'm going to tell my boys that I better never catch them asleep with the phones not on the nightstand. I set my BlackBerry for night mode when plugged on the bedside table anyway so only way I'll here anything is if someone calls me.

[bigboybkrises]

I can just hear it now "Failing Blackberry phone explodes in the U.K." and B.S about how the U.S government is stop using these phones cause of this, and stocks fell blah blah blah..... Its only about apple and android now blah blah blah......

[avt123]

im staring to believe this story less and less now.

read The Sun



then read Daily Mail




Both have totally different accounts from the individuals involved. very strange indeed

Yea. Now she's sleeping, now she's not.

[inurear]

This story is as credible as the existence of the tooth fairy.

[Stewartj1]

What a load of BS. Today RIM asked for the phone, battery and charger to do an investigation and the family says they cant find them!

Expect a LOT more dramatic 'stories' between now and January 30.

[Stewartj1]

Call me skeptical but doesn't the destroyed Curve 9320 look a little small compared to an undamaged Curve 9320?

I fully agree. The phone in the kids hand isn't even a BlackBerry. It looks more like a feature phone.

[YorkieRay]

In this version of the story when RIM UK visited the family, they were unable to supply them with the battery, the charger or even the phone. Very strange.
RIM to investigate

[TomJasper]

Really? What store (address), what time, what date? Name of the person at the store you apparently had "the conversation" with? ... And your real name is?

I own a Curve 8530, which has been replaced once due to an EXTEME heating problem, which, if I hadn't pulled the battery, could have easily caused a fire. I had shut it down (or so I thought), then picked it up a few minutes later, and the back of the case was so hot that it was painful to the skin! I pulled the battery, took it to the local carrier store, and they admitted that some Curves have had a problem with the charging circuit, in which it goes into some sort of loop, causing the battery to die, and extreme heat. Of course, heat is the worst enemy of digital technology, so I demanded that the local store replace the unit with a new one, which they did (Blackberry stood behind their product). I haven't had a problem since, with either original batteries, or third-party ones. It was definitely a problem with a select number of Curves.

[calicocat2010]

like I said in the blogs it's a ruse. All just to hurt RIM because of their new phones and platform coming out in January.
I agree, that is not as big as the real Curve picture that someone posted.

It's totally BS. Two different stories. Mom was asleep, and then she wasn't....They can't find the phone, battery or the charger....These people were just begging for attention and guess what? THEY got it...and now RIM is having to take the blame for something THAT can't even be proved correctly.

[bungaboy]

I fully agree. The phone in the kids hand isn't even a BlackBerry. It looks more like a feature phone.

It's a rectangle with rounded corners. Must be an. . . . . .

[Jonesy1966]

I used to work as an underwriter for a major insurer dealing mostly with commercial/industrial liability and property and we had more claims than you would think of regarding exploding devices. In each case, obviously, the circumstances were different, (one I remember that resulted in a death was eerily similar to this one), there was one thing they ALL had in common; the phone was used while connected to a charger. And in nearly every case we saw the claimants always omitted this fact.

[SEAWARRIOR]

OK,,, saying this is "propaganda" from "Rim haters" is just over the top stupid,,, this isn't some politically oriented governmental brainwash attempt,,, seriously,,, get a grip,,, just call it what it is, a money grab,,, & unless you have that deep-fried, microwaved piece of land fill in your paws, there is no way whatsoever you can possibly speculate on what it actually is,,, i like my BB phone & am having fun w/ my Playbook & hope they get "10" off the ground in fine fashion, but some of you ppl are completely off your rocker & sound like some kinda Jonestown fruitloops,,, stop it,,, it's embarassing...

[TomJasper]

Have a close look (blow up the pic of the kid holding a phone), notice on his hand there is mark about an inch long by 1/4" wide, what does your spidy sense make of that? The two reports only make mention of burn/s on the leg/s, looks like a burn on the hand. Playing with matches/lighter or a grey market phone going poof, seems more riddles then straight up answers.

In regards to the phone they can't now locate, well to me that's a BROKEN evidence chain that would not hold up in any court if suddenly it turned up out of the blue.

I used to work as an underwriter for a major insurer dealing mostly with commercial/industrial liability and property and we had more claims than you would think of regarding exploding devices. In each case, obviously, the circumstances were different, (one I remember that resulted in a death was eerily similar to this one), there was one thing they ALL had in common; the phone was used while connected to a charger. And in nearly every case we saw the claimants always omitted this fact.

[BlackBerry Guy]

This kind of reminds me of the exploding Galaxy S3 story from earlier this year where it was later found out that someone had deliberately nuked the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S III didn't explode, it was caused by an "external energy source" like a microwave | MobileSyrup.com