The battery packs were sold separately and in laptops between August 2007 through March 2008. Naturally, if you think you might be affected, it might be a good idea to check and see if your battery matches the ones pictured in the gallery before using it again. Hit up the following link for more details. [HP and CPSC via Ubergizmo]

Acer themselves reported two instances of this happening, which caused its components and case to melt. MELT. If this is you, hit up the CPSC site to get details on how you can get your unit repaired/exchanged for one that doesn't potentially destroy all your belongings. [CSPC via Engadget]

"Under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter's metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. Users with ultracompact power adapters should immediately stop using them until they exchange them for a new, redesigned ultracompact adapter."

In the meantime, users should charge their phones via the USB cable only. Replacements can be ordered at this web address, or at your local Apple Store starting on October 10th. Hit the link for the full details [Apple]

The good news is that when Microsoft said that their red ring problems are fixed on newer units, they were probably right. They went to "an unnamed ASIC vendor based in the United States and redesigned the chip." Probably ATI, is what EETimes thinks. Moral of the story is to not skimp on chip design so you can save tens of millions, because that may come back and bite you in the ass down the road. [EETimes]

Apparently, one of the owners lifted the mower from the ground while it was still on and "suffered minor lacerations from the moving blade." Yet another case of stupid humans trying to win the Darwin Award. Fortunately for him, nothing serious happened, but the US CPSC and the company have decided to recall models LB2000, LB2100, LB3000, and LB3200 because "the cutting blades continue to rotate when the mower is lifted from the ground and the spacing on the side of the lawn mower could allow room for a consumer's foot to go beyond the shield and be struck by the blade" which "pose a serious laceration hazard to stupid lawn bozos consumers."

We like to think that, tired of being lifted from the ground by a moron while still doing its job, the robot decided to attack at once and eliminate him from the genetic pool, therefore improving Humanity. Really, give the damn thing a medal and a case of Olde Fortran.

CPSC, Kyodo America Recall LawnBott Lawn Mowers Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: LawnBott Lawn Mowers

Units: About 530

Importer: Kyodo America Industries Co. LTD., of Lawrenceville, Ga.

Manufacturer: Zucchetti Centro Sistemi S.p.A., of Italy

Hazard: The cutting blades continue to rotate when the mower is lifted from the ground and the spacing on the side of the lawn mower could allow room for a consumer's foot to go beyond the shield and be struck by the blade. Both instances pose a serious laceration hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Kyodo America has received one report of a consumer lifting the mower from the ground and suffered minor lacerations from the moving blade.

Description: This recall involves LawnBott lawn mowers with model numbers LB2000, LB2100, LB3000, and LB3200. The robotic lawn mowers freely and automatically cut grass by detecting the signal of a perimeter cable. The mowers have a docking station for recharging and a shiny plastic cover sold in red, green or blue. "Evolution" or "deluxe" is printed on the side of the mower.

Sold by: Kyodo America dealers nationwide from January 2006 through December 2007 for between $1,750 and $2,750.

Manufactured in: Italy

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled LawnBott lawn mowers immediately and contact Kyodo America to register their lawn mowers for repairs that will be ready by the end of June. Consumers who have registered their mower with Kyodo America have been sent direct notification by mail.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Kyodo America at (877) 465-9636 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.lawnbott.com

[CPSC—Thanks Steve!]

The official word is that there is not going to be a recall, but users of a small number of BlackJack devices purchased between Nov. 2006 and Feb. 2007 may be entitled to an exchange if they are experiencing an inordinate amount of dropped calls. If that sounds like you, check out the official Q and A below.

Q: What is the nature of the product advisory issued by ATT and Samsung regarding the SGH-i607 BlackJack?
A: First, there is no recall of product. Some customers who purchased the Samsung BlackJack i607, which was manufactured during the months of November 2006 - February 2007, may find they are experiencing dropped calls or poor signal reception.

Q: What should I do if I am experiencing these issues with my BlackJack phone?
A: If you are experiencing these issues, contact AT&T's Exchange by Mail (XBM) program at 1-800-801-1101. The XBM representative will assist customers with devices built in the timeframe by exchanging their device for another.

Q: How can I tell when my phone was manufactured?
A: The date will be located on the lower right hand side of the identification sticker in the battery compartment. It is in the format of yy.mm.

Q: What has Samsung done to correct the issue?
A: Samsung has implemented some design changes to fix these issues and there have been no issues with call performance with all new hardware manufactured from and after March 2007.

We talked with representatives at Canon USA this morning, who said they hadn't heard anything about this letter, nor did they know if sales of the EOS-1D Mark III would also be halted in the U.S. or if existing units would be recalled. They're looking into it for us, so stay tuned for more info.

UPDATE: Canon tells us all the U.S. models now shipping have already been modified, and no recall is planned. If current EOS-1D Mark III owners are experiencing autofocus problems, they're invited to return the camera to Canon for repairs. [Rob Galbraith DPI]

If you signed up for a "retrofit", you'll be eventually sent a shipping container that you can shove your wheel for Microsoft to repair and ship back to you about 2-4 weeks later (an eternity in game time). However, if you want to take your chances, Microsoft's said there have only been 70 "incidents" in the field, which taken out of 230,000 sold units, isn't all that many. So it's up to you: a house slightly on fire or a month of having to play Forza 2 and PGR4 with a regular controller. [Next-Gen Biz via Kotaku]

You can still use your wheel now on battery power (wirelessly), but they recommend that you quit using it while plugged in—which means there's no force feedback—until you get the replacement adapter. [Xbox via Microsoft]

In the game, players lock hands with a fake arm and battle on screen characters such as a french maid, a drunken martial arts master, a chihuahua, and a professional wrestler. Atlus claims that "the machine isn't that strong" and "even women should be able to beat it." Hmmmm. Either this is one bad ass arcade machine or the Japanese need more calcium in their diet. [MSNBC]

The Cyber-shot DSC-T5 is the affected model, specifically those with serial numbers between 3500001 and 3574100. Sony have said that they will cover parts and shipping, which is the least they can do for selling people cameras that could cut their hands or face. Sony were affected in previous months by large numbers of laptop battery recalls, so this will come as a doubly large blow to them. [The Register]

"Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could pose a risk of fire."

• Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810
• Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E1505, E1705
• Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90
• XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710

The following Dell URL gives you full instructions for finding the serial number of your battery, and sending it into Dell. Don't worry, the company makes it all very easy, and you get a brand-new battery out of the deal. – Charlie White

Battery Recall [Dell]