Dell Recalls 4.1 Million Sony Batteries
Like either one of these companies really needed another "black eye" right now...

Batteries are asked to supply a lot of power in a really small area. I am beginning to wonder if we have reached the limit with what Lithium Ion batteries can provide SAFELEY.

By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer

DALLAS Aug 15, 2006 (AP)— In the largest electronics-related recall involving the Consumer Products Safety Commission, Dell Inc. agreed to replace 4.1 million notebook computer batteries made by Sony Corp. because they can burst into flames.

A Dell spokesman said Monday that the Sony batteries were placed in notebooks that were shipped between April 1, 2004, and July 18 of this year.

"In rare cases, a short-circuit could cause the battery to overheat, causing a risk of smoke and/or fire," said the spokesman, Ira Williams. "It happens in rare cases, but we opted to take this broad action immediately."

The battery packs were included in some models of Round Rock, Texas-based Dell's Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and precision mobile workstation notebooks. Dell launched a Web site, http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com , that described the affected models. Williams said the Web site would tell consumers how to get free replacement batteries from Dell.

Read all about it here, courtesy of abcnews.go.com:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2314742

-Eric