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Apple recalling MacBook Pro batteries
MacBook Pro owners, check your machine's serial number. If it begins with W8607 or W8608, it's eligible. There's nothing you need to do except check your mail (provided that you registered), as this is a "silent" recall, and Apple has begun cross-shipping replacement batteries to customers.So let's see, the MBP whines like a Banshee, is blisteringly hot and features a recalled part. I'm not giving up my Powerbook any time soon.[Via MacNN]
102,000 Disney DVD player batteries recalled
We see a lot of product recalls around here, and keep most of them to ourselves (unless, of course, we feel our readership faces certain danger), but we figured you'd be particularly interested in one that could prevent your kids' hands from getting burned. Memcorp, in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling 102,000 battery packs for Disney-branded portable DVD players sold at theme parks and through Disney's online catalog from April 2005 through last month due to reports of overheating. Apparently the batteries, which were included with five different models (full list available by following the "Read" link), have drawn 17 complaints with regards to their toasty nature, including three reports each of property damage and minor skin irritation. This certainly isn't the first incidence of faulty batteries that we've seen, but usually manufacturers are thoughtful enough not to package them with products intended for children.
Big recall on Philips plasmas
You know those fancy lights inside of some Phillips plasma? The ones that cause the overall color that is displayed on the screen to also be displayed on the wall behind the TV; officially it is called Ambilight. Well, they can know add another color setting called electric discharge. *clearing throat*Anyways, We warned you about this a few weeks back so hopefully this did not happen to any of our readers but it has been made official now. Philips is recalling over 12,000 sets because of a faulty capacitor inside of the Ambilight that causes arching which results in an electrical fire inside the TVs. Thankfully in the nine reported cases, no one got hurt nor was there anything damaged (besides the TV) thanks to fire retardant (thanks sam) material. All joking aside, this is a serious thing so check out this link that will tell you if your, or family members, set is part of the recall. These 12,000 sets are all in the US and Philips is going to make house calls to each and everyone of them to fix the issue.
Philips' plasmas are HOT
A little too hot as it would turn out, as they've sold about 12,000 plasma displays that are prone to overheating. If you own a 42 or 50 inch Ambilight screen clear some time on your schedule, get out the Maxwell CD and light some candles because you've got a date with the repairman.Here at HD Beat, we really think Philips should instead tout this as a feature, why waste time watching a Yule Log or Screen Dreams DVD when your TV can just go up in flames by itself?
Achtung! Xbox 360 overheating explained!
Ever get drunk and piss on the toilet seat without lifting the lid? I'll explain. The ever-resourceful Deutschland modding community has reportedly discovered the reason behind the 360's overheating issue. Xbox-Scene informs that a group of German tech-heads from ModControl.com and GameStore24.de took apart two independently purchased consoles and discovered the protective foil on the heatsink had not been removedOn the left [see above pic] you see the CPU heatsink and how the thermal compound should normally look like. On the right you see the ATI GPU heatsink and people who are used to assemble PCs themself known this isn't how it should look like. It's not just a thick layer of compound ... there's actaully a plastic protective foil on top of the thermal compound.On the right a close-up of the protective layer/foil on top of the heat transfer pad. On the left the protective foil has been removed and placed next to the heat pad. This protective layer is probably placed by the manifacturer of the heatsink and is used to protect the heat transfer pad from dust, but should normally be removed just prior installing the heatsink on the GPU. The way it's installed now by MS the GPU chip makes contact with the plastic protection foil instead of the heat transfer pad. This can of course cause cooling issues for the graphics chip as for optimal cooling performance there should just be a thin layer of thermal pad between the GPU chip and heatsink.They also have a video (in German) that appears to point out the offending foil. How many consoles could be affected by this basic issue? Was the overheating scandal really as simple as Friday Happy Hour on the assembly lines? Hardware-savvy readers please weigh in. Also would any German-speakers care to translate?[Previously: Motion filed to dismiss overheating lawsuit]
