| Strange case of the exploding AAA cell
We've got used to stories of batteries in laptops and handhelds exploding or otherwise malfunctioning dangerously. Nokia is the latest company to be hit, as we reported yesterday. But how about the humble general-purpose AA and AAA cells selling in their tens of millions? Judging from my experience, when a remote control exploded in my lap on a very hot evening recently, it seems that you can't fully trust them either. It was not a loud explosion, just a sharp crack that blew the lid off of the battery compartment. The top of one the three triple-As inside was gaping open, spilling noxious liquid all over the remote control. The device was not damaged but the battery might easily have been installed in a child's toy, with results that could have been rather less trivial.
China BAK shares jump on HP announcement
Shares of China BAK Battery Inc. jumped sharply in afternoon trading Tuesday after the maker of laptop and electronic device batteries said it is working on a deal with tech giant Hewlett-Packard Co. China BAK said late Monday it signed a nonbinding letter of intent with HP that may lead to a supply agreement. The companies agreed to work toward a deal in which China BAK would supply HP with lithium ion battery cells for its notebook computers. "We are encouraged by this announcement and believe it removes substantial uncertainty regarding the company's growth outlook," wrote Roth Capital Partners analyst Mark Tobin in a note to investors. He kept a "Hold" rating on China BAK and raised his target price to $5 from $3.50. The analyst expects the contract will be finalized in the first quarter of 2008.
(AFX UK Focus) 2007-08-09 10:03 GMT: Malaysia's automotive battery makers hike prices by 15-20 percent - report
KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Financial) - The Battery Manufacturers Association of Malaysia said Thursday the prices of automotive batteries will be increased by 15-20 percent with immediate effect due to the sharp increase in raw material costs, the official Bernama news agency reported. Chow Siew Hon, president of the association, said the price of lead, one of the major components in the battery, had increased by about 590 percent to more than 3,000 US dollars per metric ton since June 2003. "This drastic increase in raw material has affected production cost, which grew by between 15-22 percent ," he said. Chow said the price of automotive batteries was last reviewed with an increase of 15 percent in March last year due to rising prices of lead, liquefied petroleum gas and polyportylene resin.
'Ghost chili' packs twice the punch of an habañero
CHANGPOOL, India -- The farmer, a quiet man with an easy smile, has spent a lifetime eating a chili pepper with a strange name and a vicious bite. His mother stirred them into sauces. His wife puts them out for dinner raw, blood-red morsels of pain to be nibbled -- carefully, very carefully -- with whatever she's serving. Around here, in the hills of northeastern India, it's called the "bhut jolokia" -- the "ghost chili." Anyone who has tried it, they say, could end up an apparition. "It is so hot you can't even imagine," said the farmer, Digonta Saikia, working in his fields in the midday sun, his face nearly invisible behind an enormous straw hat. "When you eat it, it's like dying." Outsiders, he insisted, shouldn't even try it. "If you eat one," he told a visitor, "you will not be able to leave this place." The rest of the world, though, should prepare itself.
SunEthanol gets funding boost
SunEthanol Inc., a biofuels technology startup, has secured its first around of funding to commercialize the Q Microbe, a natural bacteria capable of converting cellulose into ethanol, the company said on Tuesday. The amount of the round was not disclosed. .
Assault on Battery
Soccer is commonly referred to as "The Beautiful Game." The person that came up with that slogan obviously didn't envision the Charleston Battery's play Tuesday night against the Carolina RailHawks. With its playoff hopes still very much in doubt, the Battery came up with one of its worst overall performances of the season in a 3-0 loss to the Carolina RailHawks in front of a crowd of 3,463 at Blackbaud Stadium. With five games left in the regular season, the Battery, which is 7-2-2 in its last 11 home games, dropped to 8-10-5 (29 points), but remained in eighth place in the USL First Division. The RailHawks improved to 6-10-7 (25 points) and are in 10th place. The top eight teams will advance to next month's USL First Division playoffs. Connally Edozien scored all three goals for the RailHawks, including two in the first half, as Carolina dominated the action for most of the match.
The View from Cherokee Ridge
It was Nov. 25, 1863. Veteran Confederate troops were lined up along the river south of town, and although Union troops held Knoxville, the Confederates had the town almost completely surrounded. Captain William Parker's 6th Virginia Artillery Battery had four guns set up on the bluffs that are now home to the Cherokee Heights Condominiums. The troops of the 45th Pennsylvania Regiment had dug into their rifle pits near the mouth of Third Creek on the north side of the river and they could see the smoke rising from the forests as the artillery shells began to fire on the Union troops stationed on Armstrong's Hill. If the Confederates were able to take the cliffs on the south side of the river, they could've safely shelled Fort Sanders from afar, and attacked Knoxville from the north and the south.
Nokia issues advisory for BL-5C battery
Nokia has issued a product advisory for the BL-5C battery due to potential short circuit issues while charging. The batteries were manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. between December 2005 and November 2006. There are other BL-5C batteries that this advisory does not apply to. In order to see if the battery in your Nokia device is subject to the advisory then you need to pull out the battery and enter the 26 digit identification number into the box on the advisory site. BL-5C batteries can be found in a large number of different Nokia models, including the Nokia N70, N91, E50, 7610, and many others listed on the advisory site. .
|
