Dell Seeks Gov't Help On Exploding Laptop.

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http://www.crn.com/sections/dell/dell.jhtml?articleId=190400211

Dell Seeks Gov't Help On Exploding Laptop

By Edward F. Moltzen, CRN
7:06 AM EDT Fri. Jul. 14, 2006

Dell is enlisting the help of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in its autopsy of the now-infamous "exploding laptop". According to Lionel Menchaca, a Dell Digital Media Manager, on the company's new blog:

Dell's engineering teams are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and a third-party failure analysis lab to determine the root cause of this failure and to ensure we take all appropriate measures to help prevent a recurrence.

The federal consumer unit could become an ally to Dell, which is pointing the finger at the exploding laptop's lithium ion battery unit. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has repeatedly found problems with lithium ion batteries in a number of electronic devices, including - since last year - laptops manufactured by Dell rivals Apple and Hewlett-Packard. (Apple, Dell and HP have all had to recall thousands of units with the batteries at the CPSC's behest due to fire and safety hazards.)

Dell has been working to firewall off any more bad press from exploding laptop issues. Industry journal The Inquirer published a letter to the editor on July 4, purportedly from a second Dell customer (identified only as "Rich S.," an IT administrator from Pittsburgh) who suffered an exploding laptop. That letter prompted analyst Cindy Shaw from Moors & Cabot to issue an investor alert that more bad press on the issue could be damaging to Dell.

However, when I asked a Dell spokeswoman about that report, she responded in an email that, "(o)ur investigation so far has not indicated any broader trend..." She encouraged the anonymous letter writer to contact Dell.
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List of Dell laptop batteries recalled

By The Associated Press Mon Aug 14, 9:40 PM ET

Dell Inc. is recalling battery packs made for the following models of notebook computers that were shipped between April 2004 and last month:

Dell Latitude D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810.

Dell Inspiron 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705.

Dell Precision M20, M60, M70, M90.

XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710.

The batteries were also sold separately for $60 to $180, including to customers on service calls.

Each battery bears an identification number on a white sticker. Customers should have the number handy when they call Dell to learn if the battery is covered by the recall.

The company planned to launch a Web site, http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com , at 1 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. Customers can also call a toll-free Dell number, 1-866-342-0011, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT.

Dell said the notebooks can be safely used on an A/C power cord if the battery is removed first.
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