B. Y. O. B(ATTERY) Not very long ago, it was quite common for just about any moving toy you purchased for children to have a notice prominently appended which warned you, the buyer, of an essential which was not there. It read:"Batteries Not Included."
Currently headlined difficulties of several of the largest makers of adult toys in laptop computer shapes, are, no doubt, printing up large stocks of cards showing that future shipments may arrive without any means of making them "go" as actively advertised.
Of course, we parents used to try to 'save face by pushing those powerless toys around on the living room floor until we could get to the right store to buy the proper size battery required and in sufficient quantities to keep the toys on the move. There is no reason for you for you to discard your handy, dandy laptop, just because your one wrist beginning to feeling baked, or your thigh simmering a bit, if you are one of those purists who insist that "laptops" be placed on one's lap. Your computer came with a short electric cord which plugs in to an ordinary wall socket. Such "extra" cords are, invariably, too short so you can sit on the living room floor and keyboard away, until you can get to the right store...and so forth.
You will need to stock up on "Lithium-Ion" batteries. They are not at all like the little round, oblong or chunky things you see cluttering the "Whim Racks" at cashier waiting areas where you shop. You have to ask for them. You might even have to describe them. Better still take a used one (cooled, of course) with you. Show and Tell.
These are favored by computer makers because they are light in weight, getting smaller all the time, because they are, as the engineers say: "energy dense" - whatever that means. Sales people like the fact that they can say L-I's are "rechargeable"- evading the "but what are batteries gonna cost me each month?" buyer's evasion.
Dell was first in line with a recall and 20% of their total laptop production for the period being questioned. Apple made their announcement a week later showing 30% but for several other products well. Seriously, I prefer looking at all of this tremendous loss of money, Time, and impetus of the industries involved rather than list of million of items which can be confusing, subject to many errors, miss-interpreted by devious characters, and, at times, causing costly dislocation of funds and competent people.
It is important to notice that all of the offending batteries are made by Sony and it is critical too, that we read on and find that the Sony unit is being used without difficulties by other makers of electronic products - H-P, Lenova, Gateway, and others. The true difficulty seems to be with engineering people in the troubled firms who continue to use unstable, configuration .
What pressures, what determining conditions and circumstances would cause a technically trained mentality to even in think of working a such low levels?
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 8-25-06 [c527wds]
