HP took a generous slice of humble pie on Thursday when they issued a voluntary recall of the Lithium-ion batteries installed in their notebook PCs. Affected machines include nine of the Pavilion series, nine in the Presario series, the G6000, G7000 and Compaq 6720s. The official list of affected units appears on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

The problem with the notebooks was the battery, which is susceptible to overheating. According to the official report, “the recalled lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.” Thankfully, no injuries have resulted from the overheating batteries, but HP does have complaints of at least two batteries that have overheated and ruptured. The batteries pose a serious fire hazard.

The number of affected units is approximately 70,000 throughout the United States and Canada. Those who have units that are part of the recall should immediately remove the battery. The computer may still be used, but only while plugged in without the battery. HP will provide a free battery replacement for any faulty batteries.  

Last year, HP experienced a similar incident when they installed Sony-manufactured batteries that were also subject to overheating. That recall affected 32,000 batteries. In 2006, a massive recall of Sony batteries affected Dell, HP, and Apple computers. 

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Oh no. Another Microsoft vs. Apple ad? Not again. This time, Microsoft released a new ad, along with a new program that takes a huge swipe at Apple and their iTunes store. Does Microsoft’s jab work?

The ad goes something like this. The cool guy, Wes Moss, shares a factoid at the beginning of the ad: at a buck a song, it would cost $30,000, to fill the iPod with songs. His point? Most people, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs notwithstanding, would run out of money before they ever run out of space on their iPod.

Does he have a point?  Well, read on.

His point is not that the iPod is a piece of junk with way too much storage capability. His point is, you need to subscribe to Zune Pass, because apparently, you can pay only $15 and get all the songs and downloads you want. Forever. All of them. Unlimited.

Does he have a point this time? If only it were that simple, all the iPod users would quickly rush over to Zune Pass and download the thousands of unlimited songs that they need to fill their iPods, and spend less than 30 grand.

Unfortunately, Zune Pass isn’t the promised land of unlimited downloads, as Wes makes it out to be. In case you didn’t catch it in the video, they pull a nifty SFX stunt on the unwary awe-struck viewer. It happens right when he reaches his powerful sell line: “Unlimited music downloads for 14.99 a month. One costs a lot and one costs a little.” During this dramatic announcement, the screen displays corresponding text. First it displays “Zune Pass. Unlimited Music.” Then, it displays “$14.99 a month.” along with the fine print: “Keep 10 songs.”  “Keep 10 songs” is the rub—the fine print as it were—   and it appears on the screen for .03 seconds.

With all the bad news only taking up .03 seconds, Zune Pass will probably get a lot of initial customers. But it will also get a lot of disgruntled customers. In the end, the $15 dollars gets you 10 songs. And, imagine that, the real price comes out to $1.50 per song! Suddenly 30k doesn’t seem so bad when compared with 45k!

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The Palm made a big splash in the portable device world…a few years ago. With the ascendancy of a host of portable-device manufacturers, thinkers, and developers, Palm frankly got lost in the shuffle…not to mention the fact that the iPhone came out in the meantime. But the Palm is back—and maybe with a bang. June will witness the release of the Palm Pre—and an accessory item, the Touchstone.

The Touchstone, and other devices like it, may just be the next big thing in technology. You’ve heard of wireless technology. In fact, you may be reading this article via a wireless signal, be clicking with a wireless mouse, or even typing with a wireless keyboard. Wireless accessories, signals, and devices are no new thing.

But more likely than not, you’re wireless device doesn’t charge wirelessly. The Palm Pre does. And that’s what will set it apart in the market, not to mention usher in a host of wireless-charging devices of the future. Wireless charging is no newcomer to technology, but useful adaptation and easy integration into every day life is the next challenge.

Wireless charging is a fairly straightforward phenomenon. The wireless charger is usually a pad of some sort which contains an embedded coil with an alternating current. Devices which are capable of being charged wirelessly contain a similarly-designed coil which responds to the magnetic field produced by the charging pad, and subsequently initiates a charge to the device’s battery.

While wireless technology is still jumping hurdles, it wields incredible potential for the next horizon of technology. Imagine a world where you never have to plug in your cell phone, your iPod, or your computer. Such a world is admittedly some distance away, but wireless charging may just catch on. Implementing universally accessible wireless charging devices into walls, desks, or rooms would eliminate a host of wiring and add a modicum of convenience to our power-hungry technology-driven society.  

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It seems the Kindle is growing—and not just in popularity. The New York Times recently blurted out some news, lending credence to long-circulated rumors of Amazon Kindle’s next major move. Sometime soon, Kindle will unveil a new large version of its reading device in a marketing move that is aimed to boost appeal for newspaper and periodical reading.

(Credit: New York Times)

The downtrodden print industry would be thankful. As newspapers and magazines bite the dust on a daily basis, publishers are wondering what the future holds. Amazon isn’t wondering. They’re doing. And what they’re doing is going to get a lot more attention. The move could be a veritable rescue plan for a newspaper industry that is quickly becoming superannuated.  

But how does a passé newspaper industry, fraught with budget deficits, a shrinking readership, and writers-turned bloggers, adopt a strategy that gets Kindle subscriptions? No one is quite sure. No one, that is, except the New York Times. Their inside information on the Kindle Big may just be the hint that they are on Kindles preferred vendor list. No doubt that would be a win-win situation for New York Times and Amazon. As to how the little guy is going to get in on the action—that may prove to be the newest challenge for their marketing department.

But before the chicken-counting begins, we must wait and see how the big screen Kindle will be received, and what challenges it will face. Challenge number one could be the cost. Why would someone by a $300 newspaper, plus pay monthly subscription costs? Can Kindle jump the financial hurdle? There is also the outdated challenge. Black and white print gets old really fast. Even print newspapers have colored pictures. The Kindle has no color. That could be a non-start for anyone who would rather whip out their smartphone to check the news headlines—and watch a color video or two. And, as always, Apple lurks in the background, amidst the whispers of the nobody-knows-quite-what-it-is device that is rumored to be coming out next.

Will Kindle’s growth in size give them a growth spurt in popularity? Only Times will tell—the New York Times, that is. 

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