Phone defect could affect hearing

A defect in a series of phones from Siemens is leading to potentially harming audio transmissions when the batteries are run down, the company announced earlier this week. Siemens said its 65 series phones have a software error that, in "rare and unlikely" cases, could cause the disconnection melody to play loudly when the phone is use and the battery dies.

In extreme cases, the sound of the melody could cause hearing damage--but only when the phone is being held against someone's ear, according to the company. Siemens recommends disabling the disconnection melody. A software fix has been developed and is being tested. It should be available for free in the coming weeks.