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Is your new iPad heating up?
Apple's latest hot ticket seems to be a tad too hot to hold, some users are reporting. New iPad owners on the MacRumors forums and Apple's own support community complain that the slab's lower left corner can get a little warm during extended use. Don't get excited though, reports seem to vary by user -- some are reporting that their tablet becomes too uncomfortable to hold while others say that it only gets "slightly warm" and that it's "expected." How's your new iPad treating you? Click on through to the comments and let us know.
Quanta sues AMD, claims it sold defective products
Yikes. Quanta -- also known as the planet's largest contract maker of laptops -- has just slapped a nasty lawsuit on the world's second-largest chipmaker. According to Bloomberg, Quanta is alleging that AMD and ATI sold chips that "didn't meet heat tolerances and were unfit for particular purposes." Those chips were then used in NEC-labeled machines, and caused them to "malfunction" in some regard. No big deal? Hardly. In the complaint, Quanta states that it has "suffered significant injury to prospective revenue and profits," and it's seeking a jury trial and damages for good measure. As if that weren't harsh enough, the suit also claims "breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, civil fraud and interference with a contract." When pinged for comment, AMD's spokesman, Michael Silverman stated: "AMD disputes the allegations in Quanta's complaint and believes they are without merit. AMD is aware of no other customer reports of the alleged issues with the AMD chip that Quanta used, which AMD no longer sells. "In fact, Quanta has itself acknowledged to AMD that it used the identical chip in large volumes in a different computer platform that it manufactured for NEC without such issues." Somewhere, Intel has to be smirking.
Apple replacing recalled nanos with new models
In mid-November, TUAW reported on Apple's program to replace certain first-generation iPod nanos with refurbished models. The replacement program was designed to resolve issues with iPod nanos manufactured between September of 2005 and January of 2006 that could cause overheating and pose a safety risk. Now some nano owners are reporting on a MacRumors forum that Apple is replacing their 2 GB first-generation iPod nanos with 8 GB sixth-generation models. News of the first shipment of these newer units came from MacRumors reader CoolCatGee, who posted an image of an email that had been sent by Apple announcing the shipping of the device. The reader checked the serial number of the new device and found that it was a 6th generation iPod nano. So why is Apple sending out newer devices to replace old equipment? It appears that there was unprecedented response to the "recall," and there may have been only a small number of refurbished units to send out. Many of the forum respondents also noted that the replacement is taking 5 to 6 weeks, meaning that Apple might be providing the newer units as part of its usual policy of over-delivering on promises. MacRumors is now backing up its forum posters with a confirmed report that Apple is indeed shipping sixth-generation iPod nanos. The devices come with an expired warranty, and forum fans are unsure if they're refurbished 6G iPod nanos or completely new devices. [via iPodnn]
PSA: Mophie and Best Buy issue separate iDevice battery pack recalls due to overheating concerns
Sporting an external battery pack on your iPod Touch or iPhone? If it happens to be from Mophie or Best Buy's Rocketfish brand, we'd advise you to take note and avoid getting burned. Rocketfish's RF-KL12 battery case for the iPhone 3G / 3GS has been reported in a small number of burn and "minor" fire incidents, while Mophie's announced that a select number of Juice Pack Air models for the 4th generation iPod Touch (seen above) are at risk for overheating, and potentially even melting. Suffice it to say, if you're currently in possession of said battery extenders you should stop using it immediately. Best Buy asks that owners of the Rocketfish case get in touch to facilitate a return, which will be met with a $70 gift card in the US ($105 in Canada) as compensation. As for Mophie? If your Juice Pack Air is among the affected serial numbers, you'll be able to initiate a swap for a fresh unit via a return form on its website. Hit those source links below for all the details -- this is one case where you definitely won't want to feel the burn.
Will Intel's Core i7 Sandy Bridge E CPUs ship without fans or heatsinks?
Over the past few months, we've peeked Intel's roadmap more than once, but all told we've been treated to scant few details about its high-end desktop line, Sandy Bridge E (that's "E" for enthusiasts). Today, though, VR-Zone is reporting that the next generation of these CPUs will ship without fans or heatsinks -- a tacit acknowledgment, perhaps, that Intel's home-brewed cooling system will be inadequate in the eyes of hobbyists anyway. We reached out to Intel for comment, and while the company stayed mum on the topic of cooling, it did go out of its way to clarify another point the folks at VR-Zone made in their report. The outlet had said that the forthcoming 3820, 3930K and 3960X CPUs will be rated at 130 watts, but will consume closer to 180W and draw up to 23 amps from the 12V2 supply rail -- all without overclocking, mind you. An Intel rep writes: "TDP expectations for the 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 processor family for socket LGA-2011 are in line with previous generations of high end desktop products." In other words, built-in cooling system or no, the TDP should be in line with what we've seen from other Extreme-branded processors. As for the cooling, it's unclear when, exactly, we'll get the full spill -- the CPUs are rumored to launch before the end of the year, with the quad-core 3820 arriving after the six-core 3930K and 3960X.
PS3 users report LA Noire overheating issues, Rockstar and Sony respond [update: Freezing issues also reported for PS3, 360]
This morning, Rockstar posted a notice about PS3 systems possibly overheating due to some friction between L.A. Noire and the new firmware 3.61. The post has since been removed, though a new announcement has been posted on Rockstar's website providing some clarification. The company notes that it has "received a very small number of customer support questions about PS3's overheating or shutting down while playing L.A. Noire." It adds that "Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire or firmware update 3.61 are causing the PS3 hardware to overheat," though no solution is offered. The company advises that those with such problems contact either Rockstar or Sony technical support. Update: It appears that Rockstar has also received complaints of crashing or freezing issues on both PS3 and Xbox 360. Rockstar has outlined steps to help correct the problem. Find them after the break.
Poker chip-sized device non-invasively measures brain temperature, intrigues Le Chiffre
Do you ever feel like Portal 2 is making your brain overheat? You should get that checked, and thanks to researchers in Norfolk, Virginia, there's an easier way to do so. The Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters has developed a device the diameter of a poker chip that sits atop a patient's head; by detecting the microwaves that all human tissues produce, it calculates brain temperature without the need for messy skull-popping. The waves pass through the bone to give doctors precise, up-to-the-minute results, which can help prevent brain damage due to overheating. One possible use for the technology is helping hypoxic (oxygen lacking) infants, who can be treated with cooling therapies. Of course, you can probably make do with that old home remedy: just put a bag of frozen carrots on your head next time GlaDOS has you stumped.
iPhone 4 overheating continues to plague some users
Reports are coming in of iPhone 4s overheating and experiencing severe battery problems after updating to iOS 4.3.1. Some users started having problems with the iOS 4.3 update, and it hasn't been resolved with the 4.3.1 update. The problem has been resolved for a few users by removing stale sync threads in Mail or by tracking down other apps, including Ping, which are sending or receiving large quantities of data while the iPhone is in standby. Apple issued a warning about iPhones overheating due to external temperatures back in 2009, although this time no users report seeing the famous "iPhone needs to cool down..." image yet. Are you having overheating and/or battery problems with your iPhone? Have you managed to fix the issues? Let us know in comments.
GE's new phase-change based thermal conductor could mean cooler laptops -- literally
It's no secret: if your laptop sits atop your lap for an extended period of time, you're going to get burned -- okay, so maybe not burned, but you're definitely going to feel the heat. Luckily GE has been working (under contract for DARPA) on a new phase-change based thermal conductor that promises to cool electronics twice as well as copper, at one-fourth the weight. The breakthrough means big things for those of us who'd like to make babies one day, but we doubt that's why DARPA's shelling out the big bucks -- the new material functions at 10 times normal gravity, making it a shoo-in for on-board computing systems in jetliners. Using "unique surface engineered coatings" that simultaneously attract and repel water, the new nanotechnology could mean not only lighter, cooler electronics, but also an increase in computing speeds. Goodbye scrotal hyperthermia, hello cool computing! Full PR after the break.
Overheating iPad suit dismissed
Shortly after the first iPad shipped last April, there were some allegations from users that the device overheated quickly in warm weather or direct sunlight. By July of 2010, three disgruntled iPad owners -- John Browning, Jacob Balthazar and Claudia Keller -- had filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple. Due to the alleged shut down problem from overheating, the trio stated that they felt that they had been taken in by Apple marketing claims that said that "reading on iPad is just like reading a book." Since books never overheat and shut down, the group accused Apple of fraud, deceptive advertising, and violating State of California consumer protection laws by producing, advertising and selling defective tablets. Last Thursday, US District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel dismissed the lawsuit, saying that the trio's charges were "inadequate" and that they should have cited specific advertising where the claims of "reading on iPad is just like reading a book" were made. He's given the group 30 days to file an amended complaint with the information he's requested. I don't know about you, but I have never thought that reading on an iPad is like reading a book. I don't have to charge a book, I don't have to turn a book on, and a book can't do other things (like play music in the background) while I'm reading it. Have you ever had your iPad overheat and shut down? If you have, let us know in the comments. [via The Mac Observer]
Ask Engadget: best laptop that won't burn your lap?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Stephen, who frankly isn't interested in suffering from health issues due to insanely hot laptops baking his body. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Real simple: what is the best laptop that doesn't burn you? That is to say, which is the most powerful mainstream laptop (14- or 15-inch) that runs cool when it's actually doing something. I'm running a Dell Studio 1537 and both palmrests are warm even though all I am doing is typing this email and streaming Slacker with the LCD brightness on it's lowest setting. Therefore the WiFi card is cooking and so apparently is the hard drive (even though the processor is only at 12 percent). Help!" Man, we can't wait to see the answers to this. No, seriously -- we're pretty sure everyone in the world wants in on this secret. Every 14- / 15-inch laptop that we've ever used here (Mac and PC, both) has eventually become uncomfortably warm after extended use, and we've personally resorted to keeping a stockpile of pillows around just to guard ourselves. Drop the world a better solution down below if you have one. And by "one," we mean "a laptop model."
Shocker! Laptops placed on laps will overheat you where you don't want to be overheated
Scrotal hyperthermia -- even its name sounds like a terrible, horrible thing. Yes, gadget enthusiasts, we're talking about the vastly underrated problem that is the overheating of a techie gentleman's reproductive parts. A study recently published in the Fertility and Sterility journal confirms what we've long known -- that heat escaping laptops sat on laps can and will raise the temperature in your external offspring storage units -- but adds a bit of handy additional info as well. Firstly, it turns out that keeping one's legs together to balance the laptop is mostly to blame, as it doesn't provide enough airflow to let heat escape, while lap pads have been found to be entirely ineffective in protecting testicles from rising in temperature. Another note of import is that the men in this study failed to notice when their scrotal thermometers rose above what's considered safe, so we'd just advise doing your mobile blogging Engadget style: from a bar, a coffee table, the trunk of a car, or even a humble desk.
More details emerge of supposed PSP2 with backside touch controls, HD screen, hot personality
About a month before this year's Tokyo Game Show we started hearing new reports of the PSP2, a device that's been rumored since roughly the dawn of time (which could explain the prehistoric creatures on the concept render above). These rumors, however, were different, specifically the mention of a touchpad on the back of the device. Alas that device didn't make an appearance to the press at TGS, but supposedly Sony was showing it off to some developers. Kotaku has learned a few more things, most notable being a display an inch larger than the current PSP's and having a high-def resolution -- a detail that should surprise none. According to the report Sony is still tweaking the internal hardware, trying to mitigate overheating issues ahead of a release sometime in the fall of 2011. That would likely mean an unveiling at the 2011 E3, the same place the original unit was first shown in the flesh eight whole years earlier.
Sony A55 / A33 video recording limited by overheating sensor
So this is why the promo video accompanying Sony's launch of the A55 and A33 was set against a snowy backdrop. It turns out that these oh-so-revolutionary translucent mirror shooters can't keep their cool for any longer than 11 minutes when recording video at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius with Image Stabilization turned on. The A55 is even quicker to overheat at 9 minutes, though it's worth noting that with IS switched off you can obtain the maximum of nearly half an hour of footage -- provided the weather doesn't heat up. Sony blames this on the APS-C-sized sensor within, and it' true that plenty of DSLRs come with artificial time limits -- our D5000 won't let us get past five minutes however we try to sweet-talk it -- but it's an irksome limitation to consider if you're thinking of buying either of these Alphas for their otherwise awesome video capabilities.
Apple replaces 5K nano batteries in Japan
Back in 2008, reports of fires that were caused by overheating batteries in first generation iPod nanos caught the attention of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MEI). In turn, MEI ordered Apple to replace defective units. Apple conceded and launched a replacement program in August of 2010. Since then, according to the Mainichi Daily News, Apple has replaced over 5,000 batteries. The MEI reported that Apple replaced 5,527 batteries in August, up from 232 in July and 62 in June. The jump is attributed to changes Apple made to the program's Web page, which made it easier for customers to find pertinent information. Apple has stated that the defective batteries overheat only in "very rare cases," but it has not revealed how many of the targeted units -- first generation iPod nanos sold in Japan between September 2005 and September 2006 -- have been sold. The new iPod nano looks super, but I've always been partial to the design of the original model. It felt like a big Andes Mint. And for the record, mine never got too hot. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple offers first generation iPod nano replacements in Japan
After two years of pushing and shoving by the Japanese government, Apple has finally relented, agreeing to replace those first generation iPod nano music players sold in Japan at risk of overheating. The player exchange goes beyond the battery replacement program already in effect for consumers concerned enough to complain directly to Apple. According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, of all the plastic black and white iPod nano players sold between September 2005 and December 2006, it confirmed 27 overheating incidents that occurred during recharging, including 6 fires that left four people with minor burns. On Sunday, Apple added 34 other "non-serious" overheating incidents to the tally -- a delay in disclosure that Japanese officials called "truly regrettable." Of course, today's news begs the question of how Apple will handle this issue for all the affected iPod nanos sold outside of Japan.
Apple ordered to make public iPod nano battery fix in Japan
We had an eerie feeling it'd come to this, and come it has. Nearly two full years to the day after the government of Japan began a thorough investigation into the spontaneous combusting of iPod nano devices, that same entity is now mandating that Apple publish an "easy to understand" statement on the web that explains how customers can "receive replacement batteries and obtain advice." So far, these volatile Li-ion cells have been blamed for four cases of minor burns in the Land of the Rising Sun, and while Apple has been replacing first-generation iPod nano batteries since 2008 for those that complained, it seems that Japan wants the company to make the option readily apparent to consumers. Be sure to keep an eye on Apple's Japanese site for more, but as of now, we're not seeing any such PSA posted.
iPad class action lawsuit heats up
I guess when you're the big guy in town, everybody paints a target on your back. First, Apple and AT&T were sued for the data plan change on the iPad, and now another class action lawsuit about the iPad is underway in California, claiming that the tablet overheats way too quickly when held or placed in warm sunlight. The lawsuit alleges that the iPad "does not live up to the reasonable consumer's expectations created by Apple," and that it "turns off, sometimes after just a few minutes of use," when used in bright sunlight. The suit, filed in Oakland, seeks "unspecified damages," and as far as I can tell, it's still in the earliest preliminary stages. All of Apple's devices tend to overheat to a certain extent when used to their full potential, and anyone who's left an iPhone or an iPod in a hot car knows that there's a limit on what these things can take. But at the same time, even when I've had my iPhone overheat on me, it usually just takes a few minutes of sleep or standby to bring it back to normal -- hardly an inconvenience worth suing over. We'll have to wait and see what happens with this one.
Core i7-equipped MacBook Pro CPU hits 100 degrees Celsius (updated)
Hydrocarbon fuel cell? 600 degrees Celsius. Large Hadron Collider? -271 degrees. Microwave drill? 2,000. Your run of the mill Core i7 MacBook Pro can't compete with these extreme temperatures, but that doesn't mean it can't get pretty darn warm under pressure. PC Authority recently put the latest edition of Apple's sleek silver classic through a series of torture tests, and found that running Cinebench could cause the CPU temperature to climb over 100 degrees Celsius. The metal shell proved ineffective at dissipating the heat as well as the similarly equipped Fujitsu Lifebook SH760, which finished the same test at 81 degrees, and actually required PC Authority to run the MacBook Pro on its side (see pic above) to complete certain tests. The site thinks that Apple's cooling solution may be inadequate for a Core i7, but these results could be a fluke -- in our experience with the machine, we actually noticed an improvement over the egg-cooking solutions of yesteryear. Update: We'd like to point out that the temperatures described were related to the CPU internally, and not the actual case of the laptop.
Dost thine iPad trouble thee?
You know us, we like to keep an ear to the ground and, while our own iPads have been purring along with no more than the occasional crashed app, we're hearing others have not been so fortunate. A number of persistent issues have been reported by anxious iPadites across the USA, including weak or intermittent WiFi signal, overheating, broken PDF exports from Pages, and the iPad completely forgetting your network settings and password. So we figured what better way to see how widespread these problemos are than to ask the collective Engadget brain trust? Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Found a fix? Returned the iPad, bought a skateboard, and started a new gadget-free lifestyle? Vote in the poll, pretty please, and drop by in the comments to let us know how it's working out for you. %Poll-44007% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
