"Do you have insurance?" - Dell rep as reported in the consumeraffairs.com article.

Maybe someone needs to light a fire under Dell

that's gonna smell!

Now schoolchildren will have a new excuse for not doing their homework.

KID: Sorry Ms. Smith, I wrote my book report but then my laptop caught file.

TEACHER: Oh, OK then; just hand it in when you can.

KID: >hee hee<

But why did he not TRY to put out the fire?

Sheesh, greed and hoping his house would have burnt down? Sniff up the toxic fumes?!

Watch... it'll hit mainstream news Sunday. Right before I go to work...

The next week is going to suck.

I read it was the heat of the fan, but it must have been this battery problem ..

So, it's no longer a LAPtop then? Tabletop? In-your-hand-top? OversizedPDA?

new motto:

nothing burns like a dell

... or maybe it does.... but it's another dell

http://consumerist.com/consumer/dell/dell-laptop-burned-down-my-house-235167.php

Or an apple, or a Sony, or basically any computer that used that whole line of batteries.

http://www.wtvm.com/global/story.asp?s=6980519

Here is the real article in Georgia not Ohio.

Just looks like a fire to me. No coloured lights shooting up into the sky. No spectators going "ooh" and "aah".

Why the hell would Dell have to pay for his Emergency Services bill? What kind of retard takes the time to call 911 for a Laptop fire??? Get the Laptop off your lap throw it in the back yard and douse it with your garden hose. Geez it's amazing how low your IQ can be and be in computers!!! Dell should replace his laptop and any actual damage to his home this laptop caused, but better yet ahve his homeowners do it and they will sue the crap outta Dell and it will be out of his hand.

I suggest that ALL laptops go back to something that always works: AA batteries like those use on the Radio Shack (nee Tandy) TRS-80 Model 100/102. That laptop (the "original") only needed 4 AA batteries, obtainable at any grocery store. It even worked OK for its task.

Oh, you want a larger display, gigabytes of disk drive, a DVD Player, a dual core 32 bit processor, and wireless networking? Oh, (Emily Litella voice here) never mind.

Then again, it WAS the last project that Bill Gates personally worked on...

Dell's preliminary investigation shows this system was shipped with a Sony battery that had been recalled in August 2006, and the battery had not been replaced. The safety of our customers is paramount, and we'd like to take this opportunity to again remind Dell customers (and customers of all the other companies in the PC industry that followed our actions): recalled batteries need to be replaced. It would also be prudent for owners of Dell system models potentially involved to recheck their batteries against information provided on our battery recall Web site, just to be sure they entered their information correctly. Here's the link:

http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/

Do I see a gasoline bottle behind that trashcan?

Can't be...

The Epson HX-20 hit the market in 1982, and the TRS-80 came in 1983...

(And yes, BillG wrote some of the software. Which really isn't anything to brag about... )

Alcalines are good, but running a more modern laptop(really a portable nowadays) would soon get expensive.

The last Laptop to get any real usage out of AAs was the Psion MC series.

(They could get 60 - 80 Hours active use out of a set of 8 AAs. Or you could slot in a 1000mAH/7.2V Ni-cad pack for 20Hours usage)

Of course, that one only had a NEC V30 CPU, 256KB RAM 640x400 monochrome LCD(and Pre-emptive multitasking OS with a GUI)

Did Dell actually write to the affected customers? I image they have a pretty good idea when the affected batteries were being put into machines, and therefore know who bought the machines with those batteries in.

Have they written to those customers stating they need to return their batteries? Yep, some may have moved in the last year, but I would imagine the majority haven't.

Or are we all supposed to continually check the websites of manufacturers of every device we own - on the off-chance they've announced a recall of some dodgy component?

Why only Dell laptop. Is there suppose to be a a circuit on the laptop that sense taht the battery is fully charged and disconnedt the charging circuit from the Battery? I believe that is the problem with Dell laptops.

So it's Dell's fault for not sending a letter out, that may or may not have gotten there?? And it's NOT the consumers responsibility to check their battery when they hear about battery recalls?? Really??

I can see where you're coming from, but honestly, NOT checking your battery in this case is like leaving your Mercedes unlocked on a street corner in Harlem. Yeah, I feel bad that your car got stolen, but at the same time, you're a freaking moron.

"the laptop went up "like fireworks","

What kind of "fireworks" would that be then? Or is it simply not sensational enough to say the laptop overheated and flames appeared.

"Brown called the emergency services then grabbed his camera and took a few snaps"

As opposed to first thinking of his own safety, that of his family (if he has one) and the safety of his home. Or would that not have been sensational enough?

"What's not yet clear ........................"

Is, frankly, the reason for running a story based on one questionable source - unless a wee bit of sensation is needed to jazz up an otherwise slow Monday.

"If he had - or if his 9200 was not one of those covered by the recall"

Or, if he had accidentally spilled lighter fluid on it or, if he had just downloaded some really hot porn or, if he was using it while it was sitting on his stove - and on and on. Really, whatever happened to having facts before a story is written?

In 1993 HP introduced the Omnibook 300.

The battery pack could be replaced by 4 AA batteries.

386 SXLV CPU and 640x480 9" LCD.

Windows 3.1, BIll wil probably denie any involvement.....

Anyone interested in a 40MB HDD model?

Here in Spain the Dell laptop is reveered as the nations fave.

Spain is noted for its love of the BBQ but the Spanish frequently forget firelighters.

In steps the Dell, regular as clockwork - saves the day....!

Thank you Dell, for such educational, functional and sometimes pretty firelighters.

I wouldnt believe anyone from Ohio, he probably set it on fire to keep himself warm. Dell will prob do a safety capture on it and it will be investigated.