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Laptop Explodes at Japanese Conference
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:27 AM
from the glad-it-wasn't-on-a-lap dept.
from the glad-it-wasn't-on-a-lap dept.
An anonymous reader writes "A laptop reported to be a Dell burst into flame and was caught on camera during a recent Japanese conference. Guess this laptop could be a poster child to prove that laptops really can cause sterility if they are on your lap."
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Dell's Exploding Laptop Autopsy 141 comments
An anonymous reader writes "Dell has gone to the Consumer Product Safety Commission looking for help determining the cause of death for its exploding laptop. Dell has been blaming the lithium ion battery; the commission seems to have had a few problems with those batteries in the past."
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Dell Issues Laptop Battery Recall 170 comments
zoogies writes "The New York Times is reporting that Dell is now issuing a laptop battery recall — for notebooks sold between April 2004 and July 18, 2006. According to the article, 'The recalled batteries were used in 2.7 million computers sold in the United States and 1.4 million sold overseas. The total is about 18 percent of Dell's notebook production during the period in question.' This seems to go along with a June Slashdot story on an exploding Dell laptop, and a July Slashdot story on a Dell investigation into its exploding laptops. Curiously, there is nothing yet on Dell Support's product recall page about this latest recall."
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Alan Cox's Exploding Laptop 339 comments
Bowie J. Poag writes to mention a page put up to commemorate the explosion of Alan Cox's laptop. From the article: "Alan was on the other side of the room from the laptop. I was elsewhere. He yelled out, I ambled towards the room in my own good time, and then I heard 'Fire! Real fire! Call the fire brigade, now!' and I speeded up a bit. From Alan subsequently, I gather there was an explosion and flying pieces of laptop, and a fireball, and a couple of fires started where (presumably) boiling battery landed, and one fragment smashed an LCD monitor. And then there was smoke and smell (there is still smell) and smoke alarm wailing and firemen and sirens and paramedics (happily unneeded) and police and a man with a notebook asking questions for the fire report.'"
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When will those idiots at Dell learn? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:When will those idiots at Dell learn? (Score:5, Insightful)
When you've seen a photo like that you're gonna pay a lot more attention to a product recall.
Re:When will those idiots at Dell learn? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:When will those idiots at Dell learn? (Score:5, Interesting)
That made me certain that Dell incompetence would make my bricks explode.
I replaced them at my own expense. And considered sneaking into a Dell office and swapping mine in for theirs.
Re:When will those idiots at Dell learn? (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a reason all the big OEMs stopped calling them laptops. They really don't intend fo you to put it in your lap. I used to work for notebook support for a company, we actually had some people get burned by the more powerful notebooks because they had them in their laps for too long. It's even in the documentation that they can get too hot to be comfortably used in the lap.
Re:When will those idiots at Dell learn? (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe it ties into the explosion/fire.
Thinkpad users safe... (Score:5, Funny)
I've built balls of steel lugging that thing around. Not even an exploding Sunblade100 could sterilize my boys.
it was probably... (Score:5, Funny)
artificial intelligence? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:artificial intelligence? (Score:5, Funny)
Sage words of advice (Score:5, Funny)
Should you witness such an event, his advice is, "Don't try anything courageous/stupid, stay away, away, away!"
But take pictures first!
-h-
Feeling hot, hot, hot... (Score:5, Informative)
The hard drive is right under the left palm-rest area, and it has quite literally burned my hand several times. It's not suprising to me to see one on fire.
Nursery rhyme come true. (Score:5, Funny)
can't wait (Score:5, Funny)
Yay, sterility! (Score:5, Funny)
Am I the only person out there who thinks that sterility is a good thing? I can buy thousands of high end laptops for what one kid costs.
Laptops can't... (Score:5, Insightful)
Make your lunch
Give you a hug
Smile
Hold your hand
Carry your bag
Laugh
Get sick
Cry
Call you at work
Run into you
No matter how many laptops you buy, you won't be able to share your life, your lessons, your beliefs, or your ideas with a laptop. Though if you get sterilized, at least you can adopt a kid.
If I were a Dell laptop... (Score:5, Funny)
Imagine.. (Score:5, Funny)
Temperature issues (Score:5, Interesting)
Perhaps this will convince manufacturers to start thinking about the temperatures that their computers run at. Sure, they make sure that the processor and hard drive run below their rated maximum temperatures, but in a practical sense, they've been letting computers run too hot. My Asus M2400Ne runs pretty cool most of the time, but the hard drive and AC adapter (both the power brick and the plug) can get so hot that they burn you a little if you hold them for a few seconds. This is ridiculous. You can't build a product that reaches insane temperatures, and then stick a little label that says "Do not use with less than 3 feet of space next to eachvent" on it! Let's see some better cooling. Personally, I think a laptop with one big (4 to 6 inches), slowly rotating fan in the middle of the bottom, plus exhaust vents on the sides and back, would actually look nice, keep the laptop much cooler (no more "hot spots" on the keyboard), and run quietly. (You'd need rubber feet to hold it up enough, but most bottom vents need them.) This would probably also help with blocked vents, since it's much harder to block a huge circle-shaped vent in the middle of the case than a small square vent near the side, where the laptop is likely to rest on your leg.
This is a common occurence (Score:5, Informative)
People, do not use your laptop on carpet or in situations where it may not get ample ventilation. It can burst into flames and harm people or property... well definitely the laptop at least. Read your manuals and follow the disclaimers.
Just curious... (Score:5, Funny)
Second picture (Score:5, Funny)
Let me guess (Score:5, Funny)
Re: Linux On Fire? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Dude U got NO BALLS (Score:5, Funny)
Dude, Where's my balls?