Sony batteries still causing fires?
updated 03:45 pm EDT, Wed May 16, 2007
More Sony Battery Problems
Sony's global recall of lithium-ion batteries may not have completely resolved Sony's battery problems, say reports. Toshiba has noted tat at least one instance of one of its portable computer's Sony-made batteries catching fire in late April, despite the system using a model of the power supply that had been altered to fix the original issue, which would often ignite batteries without significant warning or a comparatively modest impact.
The accident has triggered an alarm at Sony but isn't believed to be directly connected to the original fault discovered last August, which prompted a recall that included Apple and Dell as well as numerous other computer makers. Toshiba's internal design and its power protection system in particular are different than for most companies and therefore aren't subject to the same factors that resulted in the original glitch, according to Sony. The firm didn't confirm whether or not the problem was completely isolated to the one manufacturer.
Toshiba itself downplayed the possibility of a wide-scale problem in the May announcement and claimed that the chance of this happening to batteries on the market today is 'extremely low.' A recall for the affected batteries has launched in Japan along with the announcement. [via Akihabara]



