Sony Pulls Back Some Vaio Notebooks
Sony recalled its Sony Vaio VGN-TZ notebook computer. Why? The Japanese manufacturer Sony stated that the Vaio VGN-TZ is a potential hazard because it is prone to overheating and therefore could catch fire.
As of this writing, there are around 438,000 units being recalled worldwide.
Sony Malaysia encouraged Vaio owners to check their website to see if their notebook’s model is being recalled. There is also a detailed instruction as to what they should do if their notebook is listed on the recall list.
Sony said that owners of the affected units can avail of free repair and inspection services from the company’s service centre.
According to Reuters, this recall is among the largest computer recalls in the recent years. In 2006 Dell recalled 4.1 million laptop batteries for the same reason. Apple, Lenovo, Toshiba and some other PC manufacturers also recalled more than eight million Sony batteries in the same year.
Reuters also added that Sony already received 15 complaints of overheat where in one Vaio user was injured because of a minor burn.
Sony’s VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000 series of laptops are in danger of overheating.
Sources indicate that the problem with the laptop is the “irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge and/or dislodged screw inside the hinge.” This can easily short circuit and overheat and therefore cause fire.
Source: Star-TechCentral
Samsung Unveils Compact Printers
Samsung released two modern compact printers named ML-1640 and ML-2240.
The two printers are the latest addition to Samsung’s family of fast mono laser printers. Users can choose from the colour models. These two printers are relatively small and they appear like they can fit anywhere in the office. Despite of its size they perform low-cost, high-speed and quite printing. The printer’s configuration enables users to save up to 30% of ink versus standard printers. The printer is fast and has a time of 10 seconds as its first print out time.
The two printers function very well. They produce low noise pollution compared to other printers. The almost silent operation is perfect for offices and schools. Samsung moreover extended its print solution services in order to aid businesses do more with their printers.
Samsung’s print solutions now include document and device management and security. The solutions also now incorporate improved work flow and detailed reporting.
Madhav Narayan, general manager IT division at Samsung Gulf Electronics stressed that the new printers are part of the Samsung’s goal to help businesses improve their office performance. Accoding to him, this is the reason they “developed a range of intelligent total printing solutions to meet business users’ most pressing needs.”
Source: MenaFN
Intel Launches Cheap Quad-Core Chip
Intel silently slashed the price of its Core 2 Quad processors and at the same time released the most expensive Celeron processor.
Talk about marketing irony, the Q8200 which runs for 2.33 GHz quad-core chip is no tagged at $224. This chip has 4 Mbytes of level 2 cache. Before you jump for joy, this chip is actually one of the least high-tech in all of the chips in the Core 2 Quad family.
Cache size is important since it increases performance efficiency. Cache is the memory that your computer uses to save frequently-accessed instructions. The other members of the Core 2 Quad chip family boasts either 6, 8, or12 Mbytes of level-2 cache. But as of this writing, no chip company or product evaluator was able to establish the chip’s performance using standard benchmarks more clearly.
At the same time, the chip company unleashed the new Intel Celeron 450. It is currently the most advanced Celeron processor powered by a 2.2 GHz dual core chip. Nicknamed as “Celeron D,” the new chip is tagged at $53 in 1,000-unit lots.
Source: PC Mag