Samsung has just issued a recall for all Jitterbug phones sold after March 1, 2008.
The Jitterbug phones are simple clamshells designed for seniors, mostly for emergency purposes. Apparently some of these affected phones can sometimes fail to connect to 911 services when outside of a defined calling area, which is definitely a problem for a phone that's designed to assist the elderly in case of emergencies.
Both models of the Jitterbug are affected by the voluntary recall, the Jitterbug Dial and the Jitterbug OneTouch, respectively.
Jitterbug has said that this does not affect basic cell phone services, and its 160,000 or so customers can still make and answer calls, as well as to 911 services, as long as they have a cell signal. This software problem happens only when the phones are roaming outside of their service areas. Still, owners are encouraged to either visit a designated Samsung service center or send the phone directly to Samsung for a software upgrade.
Customers who are affected by the recall will receive a letter in the mail as well as a prepaid envelope to send the phone back. Samsung promises to return the phone in about a week.
This article was first published as a blog post on CNET News.
Play video
There are currently no comments for this post.