| Sony, 3M settle battery patent dispute
3M Co. said Monday it has reached agreement in patent settlement with Sony Corp. over the technology in a type of battery used in laptop computers and cell phones. St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M said in a statement that Sony's Sony Electronics unit is now a licensed source of lithium ion batteries containing 3M cathode technology. .
Toshiba recalls about 10,000 Sony-made batteries overseas
TOKYO -- Japanese electronics company Toshiba Corp. began recalling about 10,000 Sony-made batteries for laptop computers in Japan and overseas, company officials said Thursday. Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Omori said there have been three cases in which the batteries caught fire between September and June. There were no injuries from the three fires; two in Japan and one in Australia, he said. The battery models to be recalled are different from those involved in a massive recall of Sony Corp. lithium-ion battery packs last year. Sony announced that recall after it was found that they could overheat and catch fire. In the latest case, company investigations found batteries manufactured on December 3, 2005, were a cause of the problems, and there were about 5,100 of them sold in Japan, the U.S., Europe, Australia, China, the spokesman said.
'Toyota to delay launch of new hybrids'
TOKYO: Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. will delay by one or two years the rollout of new high-mileage hybrids with lithium-ion batteries because of safety concerns, reported a newspaper.
Toyota's decision was prompted by worries that the batteries could overheat, catch fire or even explode, the Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported in its online edition, quoting unnamed Toyota executives.
It said such fears were heightened by problems with similar batteries made by Sony Corp. for laptop computers which prompted a massive recall last year.
The Japanese auto giant, which is enjoying brisk sales of its fuel-efficient vehicles, was planning to launch a dozen hybrids using the new lithium-ion battery technology in the US market between 2008 and 2010, the report said.
Green living on campus
Here are some tips for going green on campus: If you intend to upgrade your computer for all the research you're expecting to do, a little pre-class research will tell you which laptop brands are energy-efficient. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75 percent less energy than regular incandescent bulbs but provide the same soft lighting. Wash your clothes in cold water to cut 90 percent of the energy used in the wash cycle (most of which is needed to heat the water). Air-dry your clothes when possible. In the 45 minutes it takes to dry a load of wet clothes, an electric dryer will consume more energy than a dorm room requires in a normal day. If you don't have a car and a car battery at your disposal, look for devices that will charge all your hand-held electronics -- from cell phones to iWhatevers.
Sony in new laptop battery recall debacle
Toshiba has recalled thousands more Sony battery packs in response to concern over fire risk. The recall is not connected to the industry-wide recall last year in response to other faulty Sony batteries. Toshiba has logged laptop battery overheating incidents in both 2006 and 2007 in connection with the latest faulty battery batch. Toshiba said, "Over a relatively short period, certain incidents occurred where certain battery packs installed in Toshiba portable computers caught fire. "Based on its investigation, Sony Corporation, supplier of the subject batteries, concluded that certain battery cells manufactured in a specific manufacturing lot could be affected by a certain issue that could potentially lead to a safety issue." .
Intel Ships First-Ever Extreme Edition Mobile Processor; Adds New Desktop Chip
Intel today introduced its first Core2 Extreme mobile dual-core processor -- the world's highest-performing mobile processor -- adopting the brand from the company's flagship desktop offerings. The company also introduced new desktop processors and said it expects to announce battery-friendly quad-core processors for laptop computers next year. .
VMware Completes Mac Virtualization Software
VMware on Thursday announced it has completed development of "Fusion," the company's desktop virtualization software for Macs, which enables Apple computers to run Windows or Linux from within Mac OS X. VMware said over 250,000 people had downloaded the Fusion beta release since December. VMware is going head-to-head with Parallels, the current market leader for virtual machine software on Macs, which has become possible with Apple's switch to Intel processors. Both Parallels 3.0 and VMware Fusion cost $79.99 USD and are available to download online. VMware says Fusion supports more operating systems and includes power management safeguards so a virtual machine isn't corrupted if a laptop runs out of battery. More information can be found on VMware's Web site. .
Toshiba recalls 10,000 Sony batteries
TOKYO – Japanese electronics company Toshiba Corp. began recalling about 10,000 Sony-made batteries for laptop computers in Japan and overseas, company officials said Thursday. Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Omori said there have been three cases in which the batteries caught fire between September and June. There were no injuries from the three fires; two in Japan and one in Australia, he said. The battery models to be recalled are different from those involved in a massive recall of Sony Corp. lithium-ion battery packs last year. Sony announced that recall after it was found they could overheat and catch fire. In the latest case, company investigations found batteries manufactured on December 3, 2005, were a cause of the problems, and there were about 5,100 of them sold in Japan, the U.S., Europe, Australia, China, the spokesman said.
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