Keep a safe distance from your laptop

[NeoGen]

Especially if it's a Dell...
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32723

[AMDave]

Eeek.
When I type like crazy on my laptop, I am "on fire".
It's not meant to be the other way around!

Jokes aside, I rarely use my laptop on battery only and it has only once ever gone below 50% charge in the last 12 months. I tend to use mine more as a "portable" and take the power pack with me and use it whenever possible.

I wonder what the circumstances for this was and which battery manufacturer was involved, as I doubt that Dell manufacture their own and there is a high probability that these batteries may be in use in other brands as well.

Don't forget the the Laptop battery recall for replacement initiated by "another manufacturer" in the past (which I only learned of by checking the local fire service website for dangerous products when I had a power double-adapter that was in doubt) They were able to discern a particular series of serial numbers that were affected and order replacements by specification (which is just like them - a good outfit). It will be interesting to see if Dell can meet that benchmark and do the same.

I have a smoke detector installed directly above my PC rack and desk.
I'll check the battery in it again right after typing this.

I want to know the finding from this asap.

[AMDave]

My smoke alarm is fine.
Have you all checked your's lately?
Don't have one? Get one.
They save a lot of lives.
I've got 4.

I wonder if they plugged in a 250v power pack to a 110v supply (or vice versa). No. Dell stated a problem with the battery. I realy want to know the details. It's waiting time.

[NeoGen]

Dell started recalling those batteries...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060815/...battery_recall

There's a nice thread already on Dell's forums here:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...ssage.id=43162

And from what they say, you can check if your battery is on the recall list here:
https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/


Have fun with those batteries :P

[vaughan]

Phew! Lisa's XPS battery is one number different to one of those listed.

Yes got multiple smoke alarms in this place AMDave but I'm curious as to why you have only 4 lives left? ;) Sounds very feline to me

I had a replacement battery from HP for my Compaq NX9010 a couple of years ago as part of some alleged recall issue. Still going strong 24/7.

[Strongbow]

Apple, HP, IBM & Fujitsu all recalled batteries over a year ago.

It cost my company, Fujitsu Siemens, vast sums of money to recall nearly 250,000 batteries and replace them. Not everyone returned them of course and this is why we still have this http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/suppo...nge/index.html page which has been there for well over a year even though we individually contacted each registered customer.

Laptop manufacturers pretty much get all their PSUs and Batteries from the same component manufacturers and typically a defect affects us all, so why did Dell not recall earlier like the rest of us instead of just sitting on the fence saving vast sums of money and hoping that no battery would explode? beats me!

[Murray]

Dell started recalling those batteries...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060815/...battery_recall

There's a nice thread already on Dell's forums here:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...ssage.id=43162

And from what they say, you can check if your battery is on the recall list here:
https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/


Have fun with those batteries :P

Thanks Neo, Just checked, and my battery is A OK

[NeoGen]

blackheath, one question for you.
All the companies that sold those batteries and had to recall them lost alot of money, but what about the company that manufactured the said batteries? (In Dell's case it seems to have been Sony) They gotta pay for it too, and even harder, don't they? I mean, after selling them they can't expect to be off the hook in case something goes wrong, right?

[gamer007]

Sigh, another thing for Sony. 1st, the price of the PS3 over the roof, and now defected batteries. :roll:

Will Sony ever get on the right track again?

[Strongbow]

blackheath, one question for you.
All the companies that sold those batteries and had to recall them lost alot of money, but what about the company that manufactured the said batteries? (In Dell's case it seems to have been Sony) They gotta pay for it too, and even harder, don't they? I mean, after selling them they can't expect to be off the hook in case something goes wrong, right?

I take back my point made, slightly, as I don't think last year's recall was due to Sony so I can't point a wavy finger at Dell for that!

Of course all manufacturers get compensated for recalls by their incumbent supplier, but the bad press can cripple a product line very quickly which can lead to literally millions in lost revenue. Going by the way Dell is brandishing the blame on Sony I'd be very surprised if it doesn't end up in the legal courts.