An 18-year old girl in India named Uma Oram was talking to a relative on her old Nokia 5233 phone. In the middle of the conversation, Oram plugged the device into an outlet to charge the battery, and that is when tragedy struck. The phone exploded, killing the teen. According to a news report, "Uma, who was knocked unconscious and suffered injuries to her hand, leg and chest, was taken to a local hospital, where she died."
The Nokia 5233, launched in January 2010, is a touchscreen smartphone that uses pressure-sensitive resistive technology. The phone is still being sold on Amazon India for 2,999 Rupees (equivalent to $46 USD at current exchange rates). Current Nokia licensee HMD Global released a statement making it clear that this older model has nothing to do with the handsets it currently builds with Nokia branding. Since Nokia no longer produces handsets and doesn't support its older models, it is unclear exactly whom might be held responsible for the girl's demise.
"While we have not been able to independently verify the facts of any of these reports, we can confirm that the mobile phone in question was not manufactured or sold by HMD Global, the new home of Nokia phones, set up in 2017 to create a new range of Nokia devices. At HMD Global, we are committed to producing high quality handsets which deliver a strong user experience and meet high customer expectations."-HMD Global
The police have started an investigation and the victim's body is going through an autopsy conducted by the Medical Examiner in the district of Kheriakani.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: