Amazon pulls some 'hoverboards' over safety concerns
It won't sell those self-balancing two-wheelers until it's convinced they meet safety guidelines.
Airlines aren't the only ones nervous about "hoverboards" catching fire -- Amazon is pulling some of the self-balancing scooters until they're proven to be safe. Swagway (one of the better-known manufacturers) tells The Verge that the internet retailer wants all sellers to demonstrate that their devices meet the right battery and charger safety standards. Needless to say, those boards that don't make the cut won't be coming back. Swagway maintains that its own models are safe, but rivals like CoolReall and PhunkeeDuck might not be so lucky.
One thing is certain: Amazon has its work cut out for it. As Casey Neistat shows in a clip below, the "hoverboard" market is defined by legions of near-identical models, many of them from tiny companies with no real track record. It's hard to know at a glance whether or not the more expensive boards are any safer than their cheaper counterparts, and they sometimes aren't. Those boards that stay on Amazon should be safe, but it may take a while before the dust settles and it's clear who you can trust.
[Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]
