Sony batteries investigated in Dell probe

THINGS COULD get worse for Sony as a result of it supplying exploding batteries for Dell's laptops.

A powerful US consumer safety quango wants to look at every lithium-ion battery Sony has made in the wake of the Dell exploding battery fiasco. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is reviewing all Sony-made batteries in laptop computers for fire hazards.

A spokesman for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said it was "looking at the complete scope of the batteries made by Sony to ensure that no other consumers are in harm's way".

This will include all the Sony batteries in cellphones, digital cameras, camcorders and music players. The Commission wants companies and consumers to report potential defects in other devices using the battery cells but the focus for now was on laptops.

The Dell recall is one of the biggest in US electronics history but Sony also make batteries for HP, Apple and Lenovo. If all these are recalled then the laptop industry would be in a mess.

A Sony spokesman said the overheating problem is believed to be specific to batteries supplied to Dell, but recall decisions are up to each maker. HP says it is a Dell issue, Apple couldn't comment and Lenovo said it had no plans for a battery recall "yet".

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