Dell recalls 4.1M exploding Li-Ion batteries

[Rach3]

There was a thread here recently about the http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32550 video, I can't find it anymore. More news:

Dell is recalling 4.1 million notebook computer batteries because they could erupt in flames, the company said today. This will be the largest safety recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Dell, the world’s largest PC maker, said the lithium-ion batteries were made by Sony and were installed in notebooks sold between April 2004 and July 18 of this year.

Dell has been bedeviled by reports of burning laptops in recent months. In June, a Dell notebook burst into flames during a conference in an Osaka, Japan, hotel. In July, firefighters in Vernon Hills, Ill., were called to the office of Tetra Pak, the food processing and packaging company, to extinguish a notebook fire hot enough to burn the desk beneath it.

That same month, a Dell notebook in the cab of a pickup parked alongside Lake Mead in Nevada caught fire, igniting ammunition in the glove box and then the gas tanks. The truck exploded. “A few minutes later and we’d have been coming up out of the canyon when the notebook blew up,” said Thomas Forqueran, owner of the laptop and truck. “Somebody is going to wind up getting killed.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/t...&en=499692c95b993103&ei=5094&partner=homepage

 

[Rach3]

The safety agency said the batteries were not unique to Dell, meaning that other companies using Sony batteries may also have to issue recalls. Sony has sold its batteries to all the major computer makers, including Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Lenovo and Apple.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/t...&en=499692c95b993103&ei=5094&partner=homepage

 

[larkspur]

I just checked and mine is not on the recall list! Wooohoooo!

 

[Blahness]

, My school just got over 200 new Dell Laptops.

I'll freaking die of laughter if they're on the recall list :P

 

[hypatia]

Just please don't store your lap top with your ammo!

 

[Math Is Hard]

I bought my XPS in May, but Dell says it is not one of the exploding models. I think I will take a closer look at the battery anyway.

 

[Astronuc]

I bought my XPS in May, but Dell says it is not one of the exploding models.

So Dell has exploding and non-exploding models? Hmmm.

 

[Math Is Hard]

So Dell has exploding and non-exploding models? Hmmm.

Yeah, I bought my machine directly from the Dell website and I went through several pages of checkboxes customizing and upgrading the features I wanted. But I couldn't remember if I had checked the option for "Catches fire spontaneously". I don't think that came standard.

 

[Blahness]

MIH, I think it was a hidden upgrade. You know, surprise bonus features?

 

[Math Is Hard]

MIH, I think it was a hidden upgrade. You know, surprise bonus features?

 

[Rach3]

The euphemism I've heard is "undocumented feature".

 

[Gokul43201]

All this talk of computers, fire and hidden features reminds me of the old Bill Gates joke. So without much further ado...

Bill Gates dies in a car accident. He finds himself in purgatory, being sized up by St. Peter. "Well, Bill, I'm really confused on this call; I'm not sure where to send you. After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in America, yet you also created that ghastly Windows'95. I'm going to do something I've never done before. In your case; I'm going to let you decide whether you want to go to Heaven or Hell."

Bill replied, "Well, what's the difference between the two?"

St. Peter: "I'm willing to let you visit both places briefly, if it will help your decision."

Bill: "Fine, but where should I go first?"

St. Peter: "I'll leave that up to you."

"Okay then," said Bill, "Let's try Hell first."

So Bill went to Hell. It was a beautiful, clean, sandy beach with clear waters and lots of bikini-clad women running around, playing in the water, laughing, and frolicking about. The sun was shining; the temperature was perfect. Bill was very pleased.

"This is great!" he told St. Peter. "If this is hell, I REALLY want to see heaven!"

"Fine," said St. Peter, and off they went.

Heaven was a place high in the clouds, with angels drifting about, playing harps and singing. It was nice, but not as enticing as Hell. Bill thought for a minute, and rendered his decision.

"Hmmm. I think I'd prefer Hell," he told St. Peter.

"Fine," retorted St. Peter, "as you desire." So Bill Gates went to Hell.

Two weeks later, St. Peter decided to check on the late billionaire to see how he was doing in Hell. When he got there, he found Bill, shackled to a wall, screaming amongst hot flames in dark caves, being burned and tortured by demons. "How's everything going?" he asked Bill.

Bill responded, with his voice filled with anguish and disappointment, "This is awful! This is nothing like the Hell I visited two weeks ago! I can't believe this is happening! What happened to that other place, with the beautiful beaches, the scantily-clad women playing in the water?"

"<<Oh! That was a demo,>>" replied St. Peter.

 

[Gagan A]

All this talk of computers, fire and hidden features reminds me of the old Bill Gates joke. So without much further ado...

Bill Gates dies in a car accident. He finds himself in purgatory, being sized up by St. Peter. "Well, Bill, I'm really confused on this call; I'm not sure where to send you. After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in America, yet you also created that ghastly Windows'95. I'm going to do something I've never done before. In your case; I'm going to let you decide whether you want to go to Heaven or Hell."

Bill replied, "Well, what's the difference between the two?"

St. Peter: "I'm willing to let you visit both places briefly, if it will help your decision."

Bill: "Fine, but where should I go first?"

St. Peter: "I'll leave that up to you."

"Okay then," said Bill, "Let's try Hell first."

So Bill went to Hell. It was a beautiful, clean, sandy beach with clear waters and lots of bikini-clad women running around, playing in the water, laughing, and frolicking about. The sun was shining; the temperature was perfect. Bill was very pleased.

"This is great!" he told St. Peter. "If this is hell, I REALLY want to see heaven!"

"Fine," said St. Peter, and off they went.

Heaven was a place high in the clouds, with angels drifting about, playing harps and singing. It was nice, but not as enticing as Hell. Bill thought for a minute, and rendered his decision.

"Hmmm. I think I'd prefer Hell," he told St. Peter.

"Fine," retorted St. Peter, "as you desire." So Bill Gates went to Hell.

Two weeks later, St. Peter decided to check on the late billionaire to see how he was doing in Hell. When he got there, he found Bill, shackled to a wall, screaming amongst hot flames in dark caves, being burned and tortured by demons. "How's everything going?" he asked Bill.

Bill responded, with his voice filled with anguish and disappointment, "This is awful! This is nothing like the Hell I visited two weeks ago! I can't believe this is happening! What happened to that other place, with the beautiful beaches, the scantily-clad women playing in the water?"

"<<Oh! That was a demo,>>" replied St. Peter.

This one's is really good.

I am buying a laptop in Jan. I hope the exploding feature is removed by then.