#HTE

Let’s Discuss the Design Considerations of Samsung’s Throwable Fire Extinguisher

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for our buddies over at Samsung, to say the least. After giving test units of their much anticipated Galaxy Fold phone to a select group of media (including us), the tech company had to quickly revoke the phones after users began experiencing glitches, mainly caused by peeling off a layer on the phone’s screen that wasn’t meant to be removed. And by quickly revoke, we mean dramatically appearing at our office to physically take the phone away from us. We should have yelled “no take backs!” and ran.

Anyways, we recently came across a fun Samsung product we hoped was made in an attempt to extinguish the metaphorical flames that arose from the Galaxy Fold situation or even the literal flames from the classic Galaxy Note 7. Unfortunately, it was announced very post-Galaxy Note 7 and pre-Galaxy Fold in September 2018. Either way, enter the totally safe Samsung Firevase:

We have a few questions we’re hoping someone can answer:

1. Is this thing glass? If so, that sounds dangerous.

2. Is it a good idea to design discreet fire extinguishers, or should safety devices always have clear branding and messaging?

3. It’s human nature to try to keep glass objects from breaking, so would unaware visitors think to throw a beautiful vase at a fire?

4. Is there a way to design a discreet fire extinguisher where the use case is still made clear?

3. Can whoever made this video DJ our next party? We love the energy.

All jokes aside, it’s also important to note that Firevase is not fake—it’s very real. In 2018 the company gave out over 100,000 Firevases to its customers and is rumored to have another release date in mind. Would you buy one for your office or home? Why or why not?