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Intec's Wii Charging Station: decent dock or crap cradle?
We didn't even know that acessories manufacturer Intec was working on a Wii remote charging station until we saw one listed for sale earlier today. Much like Nyko's cradle, Intec's dock comes with two rechargeable battery packs and a base that lights up to signal when it's in use. That's about where the similarities between the two end.Intec's dock does away with the AC plug and allows you to conveniently charge the battery packs via USB instead. Adding onto its appeal, at $25.00, the dock comes in $5.00 cheaper than Nyko's. Sounds like an easy choice between the two, right?Where Intec's dock fails is its inability to charge both battery packs at the same time. You can't even charge the packs while they're in locked in the controllers! Those two slots for the remotes? Just for display! If you want to recharge a battery pack, you have to remove it from the controller and plant it into the dock.This sort of half-assed setup might have flown back in November, but months after competitors have already put out more advanced solutions? Even with the five-dollar savings, you'd be wise to avoid this dock. That said, jump past the post break anyway, and check out the strange blurb we spotted on Intec's packaging. [Via DCEmu]
Acer finally gets sucked into Sony battery recall
You've got to hand it to Acer for holding strong while lesser manufacturers folded in the face of cries over "consumer safety," but the Taiwanese giant has finally caved and issued a voluntary recall of about 27,000 Sony-made laptop batteries over eight months after Dell pulled back the first four million,and half a year following its initial consultations with Sony. Affected models include a slew of TravelMate and Aspire notebooks sold between May 2004 and November 2006, so Acer owners should hit the Read link to match up serial numbers -- and then shutdown immediately in favor of AC power if they do happen to sport one of the explosion-prone packs. As usual, the company will replace your battery for free as long as you visit the proper site or dial the toll-free blah blah blah...can we finally put this meme to bed already?
When good toys go bad V: RC planes going down in smoke
PSA: If you just so happen to be one of the incredibly unlucky 66,000 owners of either a Sky Squadron Model 4153 (pictured after the jump) or Sky Rangers Model 4161 radio-controlled aircraft, we'd highly recommend not making them part of your Sunday afternoon fling. Unfortunately, the overheating (and potentially explosive) Li-ion curse has reared its ugly fiery head once more, and this time two RC planes distributed by Estes-Cox through Radio Shack and Wal-Mart are being promptly recalled. There have already been nine reports of eruptive behavior, including one craft that actually caught fire and somehow inflicted "a minor burn injury" to the unsuspecting user, triggering the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to take action. So if you're not exactly interested in the possibility of getting toasted by your not-so-innocent toy plane, be sure and hit the read link to initiate that always fun RMA process.[Via Gearlog]
Is it cheaper to fake a battery repair than to buy new?
Notebook batteries aren't cheap these days, and our own Conrad Quilty-Harper from across the pond (of both TUAW and Engadget fame) blogged a little experiment to give his MacBook some new mobile legs. With a total of 11 parts replaced in six months (which is far more than required to put a machine to sleep for good), he decided it was time Apple threw him a bone and called support for a battery replacement. The Apple rep told him that if he didn't return his old 'n busted battery upon receiving the shiny new one, they would charge him £71 (~$138 USD). Fair enough, but a trip to the UK Apple Store online revealed that new batteries off the shelf cost £99 (~$192) - and that's quite a difference in price no matter where you hang your hat.Now we aren't sure if the math works the same way in other countries or even the US, and we don't exactly condone calling Apple for no good reason to score or even swap out for a new battery, especially since Apple could very well charge you anyway for making a bogus call and sending them a perfectly functioning battery (i.e. - pull this stunt at your own risk). This might be useful, however, if you're truly experiencing power issues whilst untethered and saving every penny on a replacement counts.
Whopping Wii remote comic
We played the "What if?" game with our friends a lot during our younger years. Our school playground was a montessori arena for cartwheels and slow motion kicks as we acted out, "What if we were Power Rangers?" Tired from our recess shenanigans, we would brood over notes we passed in class, wondering, "What if it rained candy? Seriously, wouldn't that be rad?" We eventually put the childish pastime behind us, realizing that it wasn't appropriate to ask our best friends, "What if I was a guy who wanted to date your sister?"Buzz Beamer from Sports Illustrated Kids hasn't given up on the "What if?" game yet. In the magazine's latest comic, Buzz ruminates over the possibilities of an over-sized Wii remote. He comes up with some entertaining ideas like Virtual Log Riding and Tossing the Caber. Our favorite is the one where he has a "realistic" wrestling match with the giant remote. That's way cooler than the Hulk Hogan pillow we used to grapple with when we were kids!
Lenovo recalling 200,000 Sanyo Thinkpad batteries
Somewhere at Sony headquarters, someone is breathing a big sigh of relief right now; because when there's a big battery recall going on, and the packs weren't made by Sony, it's a red-letter day indeed. This time around the culprit happens to be Sanyo, and the batteries in question are extended life cells sold with certain R, Z, and T Series Lenovo / IBM Thinkpads between November of 2005 and February of this year. Unlike the 500,000+ Sony batteries affected by the last recall, however, these 200,000-odd packs (100,000 in the US, about 105,000 abroad) don't suffer from any internal problems, but instead are prone to "overheating" if "struck forcefully on the corner" (like when you slip and drop your lappy on the ice). Concerned owners should check to see if their extended battery sports part number FRU P/N 92P1131, and then head here to start the replacement process if necessary. Meanwhile, we're gonna ring up Sony and suggest that they send a nice sympathy bouquet / thank you note over to their colleagues at Sanyo. [Via ZDnet, thanks Greg]
Sony's Energy LINK USB power supply / recharger
Not everyone is equipped with the skills (and time) necessary to craft their own flashlight-based cellphone charger, so Sony's looking out for those who'd rather throw down a few bills than handle a soldering iron. Looking to grab business from individuals packing a gazillion or so gadgets that receive energy via USB, the Energy LINK USB adapter provides a no frills alternative to charging and powering your device on-the-go. Aside from doubling as a recharging middleman, it comes with two rechargeable Cycle Energy batteries -- which purportedly "bridge the gap" between alkaline and NiMH cells -- to provide portable charging and power. The included batteries can be fully recharged in around three hours, but there's no word on just how much charging / powering abilities it possesses once powered up. Still, for those needing a simple charging option or a makeshift USB power supply in times of emergency, Sony's $35 Energy LINK should do the trick when it lands this summer.
Where are the Wii-chargeable battery packs?
Sony got one thing right with the PS3 ... the Sixaxis recharge through USB was brilliant. Even Microsoft has their very convenient Xbox 360 quick recharge station for when you're on a Gears of War bender. As the Joystiq staff discovers that the Wii-mote is making us go through batteries faster than our dissatisfied lovers, the big question becomes: When can we finally expect to see Wii battery packs or recharge stations?The Nyko station (pictured) was a huge hit at CES. The representative for Nyko said that they've had tremendous response to the product, but all they can tell us is that they expect a Q1 launch. We also have been tracking other third party manufacturers trying to get a Wii-mote recharge station out to market. And Nintendo? Who knows. All we can say is that whoever gets those battery packs out first will get our money. Sure, you could get a pack of rechargeable batteries, but we'd prefer plugging into a dock that will always keep our controllers charged up and ready, rather than fumbling to replace batteries. Why can't we just have a Nintendo DS battery put into the Wii-mote v2.0 -- those batteries are amazing!
Wii-chargable batt....no. No, never mind.
If you're like us, you've essentially forestalled any and all social responsibilities as of November 19th, 2006. That also means that, if you're like us, you've spent an additional bazillion dollars on those accursed double-A alkaline batteries. Where, Nintendo, are our rechargeables?Well, it seems as if Nintendo won't man up and get the job done, another company is gonna step up to the plate. Joytech, perpetual manufacturer of all things accessory, will release a recharging/docking station for two Wiimotes sometime early next year. Just insert the included rechargeable pack into the Wiimote, and place them into the vertical dock ... we prefer to think of them as thrones of power ... and you'll be ready for another 25ish hours of gaming.It's about time.
After recalls and fires, Matsushita to offer new lithium battery
It hasn't been a really good year battery-wise. Battery defects made the news with overheating and spontaneous combustion. Today, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said it will begin mass producing a new and improved lithium-ion battery, one that presumably will not melt your PowerBook. Good news for consumers, even at the slightly higher prices anticipated for the more advanced technology. This DFW article does not reveal exactly how the new batteries will be changed in order to minimize the risk of spontaneous combustion, but "not bursting into flames" would be a good start.
Matsushita to begin production of new, non-explosive Li-ion batteries
Apparently Matsushita isn't waiting around for the (notoriously slow) IEEE task force to settle on a new Li-ion battery standard, as the company has announced that it will soon begin "mass production of a new lithium-ion battery that is safe from the overheating problems" we're all too familiar with. These batteries in particular will be built to replace those that prompted a massive recall of Sony cells earlier this year, and should be available en masse "by the end of the year." Sony's global recall affected "around 9.6 million cells" used on nearly every laptop under the sun, so we're sure Matsushita's conveyor belts will be approaching record speeds to crank out these replacements. Notably, the company asserted that while actual pricing would depend on the quantity ordered, it would be "higher than existing models" regardless -- which makes sense considering all the loot Sony is losing from this fiasco.[Via Laptoping, thanks Kaztm]
Clarion's N.I.C.E. P200 in-car navigation batteries recalled
No, the word "recall" isn't entirely synonymous with "battery," but in this case, we're afraid the dreaded overheating Li-ion curse has struck again. This time the recall is hitting Clarion's N.I.C.E. P200 in-car navigation / entertainment unit, and the problem seems to be the same as nearly every other recall currently out -- it's too hot for comfort. Reportedly, about 2,500 units are potentially problematic, and with "four reports of the unit melting or overheating" due to a faulty Li-ion cell, the company isn't taking any chances. So if you've got the 4-inch flavor of Clarion's do-it-all with a serial number ended in "UE" or "UF," you should power that bad boy down immediately (and call for a free replacement) before that "NAVBATTERY" gets a little hot under the collar.
Sony says non-exploding lithium polymer laptop batteries coming soon
You can bet Sony's got tons of engineers working on the problem of how to keep their laptop batteries from exploding. In a meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Sony Electronics president Stan Glasgow mentioned that laptop manufacturers are likely to switch from lithium ion batteries to lithium polymer sometime in the near future. The advantage of lithium polymer apparently is that the lithium is contained in gel packs, which can be squeezed into random spaces (instead of being cramped into compact cells), and thus apparently doesn't have the propensity to, um, explode. That being said, it appears that Apple has already struck its foot in the lithium polymer camp, given that it's keeping MacBook and MacBook Pros juiced up with these newer batteries (pictured), which were not subject to recalls. Of course, there's always zinc and fuel cell batteries, which still toil away in research labs across the globe -- it doesn't really make much difference to us which one wins out, so long as we can somehow realize that dream of untethered beach-blogging for 12 hours straight.[Via Slashdot]
Video games and batteries drag Sony down
Variety reports that Sony's profits are down a whopping 94% due to their enormous battery recall, and a drain from their video game unit. it's no secret that Sony has been spending a lot of money on the PlayStation 3 while they ramp up for their launch next month, but it's impressive to see what those numbers are in black and white.Sales were slow for both the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 2 this year, and "As a result, vidgame revenue was down 21% at $1.4 billion. Operating income swung from a $70 million profit to a $369 million loss." That's a pretty sizable chunk of change.While the PS3 research and development costs aren't unexpected, when you combine the enormous outlay with the battery recall Sony has had to deal with, there is a much higher expectation for the PS3 to pull in some mighty big bucks and soon.Serves 'em right for messing with Lik-sang. Boo-yah!
Sony: Sorry about all those batteries, can we still be friends?
Poor Sony, they just can't seem to win lately. At least they have apologized for those batteries that had a tendency to make laptops burst into flames, and that has to count for something right?Sony says the problems were caused by microscopic pieces of metal that somehow got into the batteries and caused a short circuit. Well, at least the batteries didn't ship with a virus or something.
Sony recalls 300,000 of its own batteries; delays and financial woes through 2007
So it looks like Sony's battery fiasco will likely cause delays and high battery prices until June 2007, according to Bloomberg News, which reports that "prices for battery cells have risen about 15 percent in the past three months because of the shortage." If that wasn't bad enough, the news agency also adds that Sony has set aside ¥30 billion ($251 million) "for costs related to the August recall of batteries used in Dell and Apple computers, Sony spokesman Yoshikazu Ochiai reiterated today." However, that figure doesn't take into account the recalls by the laundry list of other companies like Fujitsu, nor Sharp, nor IBM / Lenovo, not to mention a few others. So we'll guesstimate that Sony's true cost is really somewhere around ¥40 billion (over $334 million), and that, of course doesn't include any future companies that may come out of the woodwork to point out faulty batteries they bought from Sony -- like, oh, say, Sony. That's right, Sony has also officially announced a recall of 300,000 batteries in their own devices. Yikes.[Thanks, Sam]Read - Sony recallRead - Sony financials
Toshiba may hit up Sony for cash after battery fiasco
Now that the bulk of major laptop manufacturers have copped to battery problems and initiated recall plans, it's time for the finger-pointing to begin. First up is Sony's fellow Japanese manufacturer Toshiba, whose spokesperson has fired a warning shot across its competitor's bow with threats to seek compensation related to the aftermath of this ugly incident. Toshiba is claiming that the faulty batteries have tarnished the reputation of its brand and consequently hurt sales, with Sony the obvious target of its efforts to recoup lost revenue. This is one development that we'll be watching closely, because if money changes hands here, you can bet that everyone else will want a piece of the pie too -- and right now, that's exactly what Sony doesn't need.
A battery for gamers? Puh-leeze
Most gamers probably don't give two seconds of thought to the batteries behind their wireless controllers, but that hasn't stopped Panasonic from trying to market their new line of Oxyride Extreme Power batteries as "extreme power for every gamer's needs". A recent public relations entreaty promoting the batteries asks wary gamers to picture a Halo match with friends that suddenly goes awry when "all of sudden the battery in your wireless controller runs out of juice. BANG! Instant kill." Sorry, but with Xbox 360 wireless controllers lasting up to 40 hours on a set of standards AAs, this is far from a major concern for most players. For the paranoid player that's really concerned about a dead-controller kill, there's always the play-and-charge kit, which is more environmentally friendly than disposable batteries and pays for itself after only a few charges. With the PSP, DS and even the PS3 wireless controller all sporting built-in rechargeable batteries, the years of gamers throwing away their power sources are on the way out. Now if Nintendo would only announce some sort of official recharger kit, the Wii remote gamer's dreams of a battery free future might be complete. Until then, there's always the USBCell.
CPSC: Sony recall will include laptop batteries only
And you thought you could go the whole day without reading a single battery recall-related post; sorry, we'll try harder tomorrow. So you probably remember yesterday's scary report which quoted a Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesperson predicting that Sony's upcoming US battery recall will expand beyond just laptops, and might include portable DVD players and videogame consoles too. Well the same woman who made that statement, Julie Vallese, has now backtracked somewhat by telling CNET that "Any recall that the agency will make will be limited to batteries that power notebook computers. We have no anticipation at this time beyond that." So, does this mean that those other types of batteries are safe -- or that the CPSC knows about problems with them, but since they apparently won't be part of the recall, there's no need to worry the public? It's hard to say at this point, although Vallese's previous comment was pretty clear -- unlike the following response from Sony spokesperson Rick Clancy: "Sony has provided a wealth of technical data to the CPSC involving this tech, and it is omnipresent in a host of portable electronic devices, but as far as we know, from Sony's perspective, there is no initiative planned at this time that goes beyond what has already been communicated with respect to notebook computers." Doesn't sound very reassuring to us. Only time will tell if other kinds of devices are at risk from those little metal particles that tainted many a laptop cell, but if we had to proffer a guess, we'd say it's pretty unlikely that the QA breakdown which allowed so many batteries to become fire hazards was limited only to the manufacturing processes for notebook power packs. Let's hope we're wrong about this one.
Upcoming Sony recall could expand to non-laptop gadgets
Wouldn't you know it? Right after we got done throwing away recycling all of our laptop PCs in favor of an explosion-free, desktop computing environment, Consumer Reports comes along with the disturbing news that some of our other favorite gadgets may have been tainted by Sony's huge batch of crappy batteries as well. In its On Safety blog, CR quotes Consumer Product Safefy Commission spokesperson Julie Vallese as saying that "the upcoming Sony recall [in October] could very well expand beyond notebook computers and could include DVD players and portable gaming devices." That's right folks, not only is it unsafe to use a laptop anymore, there's also a slight chance that all your battery-powered devices are ticking timebombs that could totally ruin a quiet night of Grand Theft Auto or Kill Bill. We'll keep you posted on the latest developments here, but if you just can't get enough of this inflammatory (ahem) fear-mongering, head on over to our new spin-off -- Engadget Recalls -- for round the clock coverage of what has now become the defining issue of our time.
