Dell Recalls 35,000 Laptop Batteries

FYI…

- http://www.techweb.com/article/printableAr…_section=700031
December 16, 2005
"Dell on Friday recalled approximately 35,000 batteries in several laptop models, saying that the faulty units could overheat and start fires. The bad batteries were sold from Oct. 5, 2004, through Oct. 13, 2005, said Dell, which issued the recall in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The batteries were sold separately or included with a wide swath of Dell's Latitude and Inspiron laptop lines, ranging from the Inspiron 600m and XPS Gen 2 to the Latitude D410 and D810. (Dell) said it had three reports of batteries overheating, with subsequent fires causing minor damage to tabletops, desktops, and other personal effects. No one has been injured by hot laptops or the fires they cause…"
- https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx

More! Ugh.

- http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/28/an…l_laptop_burns/
28 July 2006
"Another Dell laptop has undergone spontaneous combustion, prompting the evacuation of the office it was situated in and the urgent intervention of the local fire brigade. Pictures of the incident point to a battery meltdown as the cause of the conflagration. Here's a picture*, but there are plenty more over at Tom's Hardware Guide**, the website the shots were sent to first. Judging by the screen damage, the laptop was closed at the time of the fire… But what about other vendors? Surely Dell doesn't face this problem alone? Let us know…"

* (See the "reghardware" URL above)

** http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/Du…pict192887.html

FYI…

- http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33399
1 August 2006
"…when a Dell burns, it looks pretty. How about when an Apple roasts? The short answer is, very much prettier, see?*…"

* http://wcco.com/consumer/local_story_148150249.html
"… Computers are not the only devices that use lithium ion batteries. Several other small portable devices, such as cell phones, also use the technology. They too have been part of recalls due to fire hazards."