LG says laptop batteries safe
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South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. said an independent investigation into a January laptop computer battery explosion showed that batteries used in such computers won't blow up under normal conditions.
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Chinese computer maker Lenovo and IBM announced the worldwide recall of more than 500,000 laptop batteries made by Sony after a ThinkPad notebook caught fire at Los Angeles airport.
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Hewlett-Packard stood by its decision not to recall laptops that included batteries made by Sony late Monday, issuing a joint statement with the company saying there was no risk of overheating.
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Went up 'like fireworks', family claims A Leicestershire family was this left in shock after their Dell laptop exploded "like fireworks" and set light to their living room furniture, it was reported this week - just before news broke of Sony's decision to appoint a battery safety officer.â¦
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Toshiba Corp. will exchange 340,000 notebook computer batteries, which the company said do not pose a fire hazard. but could could cut power to the notebooks, causing users to lose unsaved work
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By Kyodo News International, Tokyo  Sep. 4--TOKYO -- Japan's battery makers plan to set uniform safety  standards for lithium-ion batteries used in laptop computers, following a  large-scale recall those made by Sony Corp., the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported  Monday.
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Lenovo Group Ltd. 0992.HK and   International Business Machines Corp. IBM.N are recalling   about 526,000 Sony Corp. 6758.T batteries made for ThinkPad   notebook PCs after a computer caught fire at Los Angeles   International Airport, Lenovo and U.S. safety officials said on   Thursday.
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Toshiba has recalled more Sony laptop computer batteries due to fire risk, rekindling concerns over the safety of Sony-made batteries.
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(InfoWorld) - Fujitsu will offer owners of some of its laptop computers replacement batteries as part of Sony's global battery exchange program, it said Saturday. Sony announced the programÂ Friday in response to growing consumerÂ concerns about its laptop PC batteries, which are used by many companies. Since mid-August, about 6.6 million laptop batteries containing Sony-made cells have been recalled by computer makers because of a potential fire hazard. Fujitsu said it believes there is no danger in using Sony-made batteries in their machines, but following recalls from other PC vendors the companies are offering replacements to ease customers' concerns. The Fujitsu Japanese-market models are: FMV Biblo Loox P-series P70R and P70S and the Biblo Loox T-series T50M, T50R, T50RN, T50S, T50SN, T70M, T70M/T, T70MN, T70R, T70R/T, T70RN, T70S, T70S/V, T70SN and the FMV-P8210. Those sold outside Japan covered by the exchange are: Lifebook P1510, P1510D, P7120, P7120D, S7020, S7020D, S7025, S7025D, C1320 and C1320D. On FridayÂ Toshiba said it would offerÂ replacement batteries for an additional 830,000 PCs under the Sony program. Â ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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Is that a barbecue in your lap or... When laptop batteries aren't bursting into white-hot flames, incinerating loved-ones, treasured possessions and airline luggage compartments in a ball of fiery plasma â they're right useful products.â¦
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Apple Computer Inc. AAPL.O has  agreed to recall about 28,000 batteries used in its 15-inch  PowerBook G4 laptop computers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety  Commission said on Thursday.
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Major recalls of laptop batteries highlighted hazards that could give a market boost to thin-film batteries, which are less vulnerable to overheating and catching fire.
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(InfoWorld) - SonyÂ has appointed one of its presidents to oversee product quality and safety, the first time such a high-level member of staff has taken that position at the company. The new role for Makoto Kogure's, who was president of Sony's TV division, came as the company deals with the fallout of two recalls in recent weeks of laptop computer batteries that included Lithium Ion cells that it produced. The first, on Aug. 15, sawÂ Dell recallÂ up to 4.1 million laptop batteries because of a potential fire hazard. Then on Aug. 24Â Apple Computer said it was recallingÂ 1.8 million batteries for the same reason. Sony has estimated theÂ recalls will costÂ it between Â¥20 billion and Â¥30 billion ($171 million to $256 million). The battery problem isn't the sole reason for Kogure's appointment, the Tokyo company said. "Obviously the batteries are an issue but it's not intended that he will focus on batteries and batteries alone," said Gerald Cavanagh, a spokesman for Sony in Tokyo. "It's something we've been wanting to upgrade for sometime and batteries will be one of the responsibilities."
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Sanyo Electric Co. defended laptop computer batteries that it made and were subject to a worldwide recall on Friday, saying the problem resulted from strong external impact to the battery and was not a problem with the batteries "themselves."
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(InfoWorld) - Gateway Inc. is recalling 14,000 batteries used in its notebook PCs after four customers reported that their computers had overheated, a similar condition to the massive battery recall that swept the industry in 2006. Dell Inc., Apple Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd. and other vendorsÂ recalled more than 8 million batteries made by Sony Corp. when customers began complaining that the rechargeable lithium-ion cells could overheat and catch fire after being dropped. Gateway recalled 35,000 batteries in that episode, beginning in October 2006. However, the new recall affects battery cells made by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and assembled into battery packs by Simplo Technology Co. Ltd., of Taiwan, Gateway spokeswoman Lisa Emard said on Tuesday. Gateway, the third-largest PC vendor in the U.S., expects both vendors to help cover the cost of the action. "We're working with our suppliers to cover the cost of replacement battery packs and other direct costs. We expect our costs to be limited to incidental expenses associated with administering the exchange program," Emard said. Simplo and Samsung did not return calls for comment. Even when they offer free replacement batteries, PC vendors face a challenge in persuading laptop users to participate in recalls. Earlier Tuesday,Â Toshiba launched a campaign to remind laptop users to return Sony batteries, after one user's computer burst into flames eight months after the previous recall began. Gateway expects better results from this recall since all the PCs were purchased through direct channels, either over Gateway's Web site and phone lines or through professional direct sales, Emard said. That means Gateway still has the buyers' addresses, and plans to contact them with news of the exchange program. The recall affects certain Gateway 400VTX and 450ROG series notebooks sold between May 2003 and August 2003, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The faulty batteries are identified by part numbers 6500760 or 6500761 and say "made by SMP" on a label pasted on the underside of the battery pack. "The root cause of this failure becomes apparent as the batteries age and perform repetitive charging cycles," Emard said. Of the four customer complaints, one had caused minor property damage while the others simply overheated, she said. Â
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Those oh-so-useful lithium batteries can be dangerous; here's what you need to know.
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Sony's battery woes continued late Monday, as laptop manufacturer Toshiba announced it was recalling 340,000 batteries across its Dynabook and Satellite lines. Unlike the Dell and Apple recalls, however, Toshiba says the defective batteries do not pose a fire risk.