Toshiba to Exchange 340,000 Laptop Batteries

narramissic writes "Toshiba Corp. has offered to exchange 340,000 laptop computer batteries made by Sony. According to a Toshiba spokesman, the batteries may fail to charge correctly, causing the power to cut off suddenly. The company will be posting a software tool to its Web site, allowing customers to identify whether their computer is affected." From the article: "Toshiba's problems stem from a defect in the interface circuitry between the battery cells and the computer. That defect is caused by corrosion, said a spokesman for Sony, the manufacturer of the batteries. An ingredient used in the insulating paper of batteries manufactured between March and May can corrode components in the batteries' charging circuits, causing them to fail, said Sony spokesman Takashia Uehara. The supplier changed the composition of the insulating paper without notice, he said."

Comments

Arrrrrr

[B3ryllium]

Have I mentioned lately how *GLAD* I am that I haven't purchased a laptop yet?

This sort of shakedown can only serve to improve the product before I finally pull the trigger and make that purchase :)

Re:Arrrrrr

[sholden]

Because getting a new battery after a few months of using the old one is such a pain in the ass!

You have no idea how annoyed I was when I checked and found my dell's battery isn't of the exploding variety. Now if I want more than 30 minutes of battery use time I'll have to buy a new battery myself...

Quality??

[JumpingBull]

Isn't this not supposed to happen? I thought that the ISO 900x process was built to flag these issues before they became the nightmare that has since developed?

What am I not getting?

[TheBrakShow]

Uhhh, I'm a little confused here. This article from Toshiba's website seems to conflict with that. No?