5 of the craziest technology recalls
When technology works the way it's supposed to, we often find ourselves amazed at the things it can do for us. But when technology has faulty parts or bad features, we end up with a dangerous piece of equipment that, at best, doesn't work as planned, and at worst, can physically injure us. From exploding phones to fitness bands giving kids blisters, some pretty serious problems have cropped up in the tech field, sparking several heavy recalls over the years.
Apple iBook
Back in 2006 Apple recalled 1.1 million iBooks and Power Books thanks to overheating batteries. Sony manufactured batteries for the G4 models of the Apple products. It turned out that those lithium batteries overheated, causing Apple to issue the recall. Apple encouraged people to stop using their iBooks and Power Books, at least until they could provide a new battery. After switching out the batteries, the devices were safe to use again.
Samsung Galaxy Note7
The most recent tech recall happened recently. The newly released Samsung Galaxy Note7 was recalled only a few weeks after coming out due to a faulty battery. The Note7's battery overheated to such a degree that dozens of Note7 users experienced personal injury and property damage due to phones catching fire or exploding.
The recall is still in effect, and Samsung is encouraging Note7 owners to return the phones to retailers and carriers, most of which have agreed to provide refunds for the faulty phones. If you got yours from T-Mobile, for example, the popular carrier will give you a full refund for your Note7 and any accessories you may have purchased. You can also get your Galaxy Note7 replaced at T-Mobile with a new version of the Note7 that Samsung has assured us is safe to use. You might decide to choose a Galaxy S7 or other phone instead, any of which will work well with T-Mobile's fast and reliable network.
Dell Notebook
Taking a leaf out of Apple's book, Dell had to recall about 4 million notebook batteries in 2006. Sony also manufactured the lithium batteries causing problems with Dell notebooks. The three affected models were the Inspiron, the Latitude, and the Precision. Experts said that impurities in the batteries led to short-circuiting and overheating. If overheating happens too quickly in a battery it can cause a small explosion within the device.
Dell advised notebook users to remove the faulty batteries and to rely on the AC power adapters to continue running the devices. At the time, it was the largest recall of batteries for the industry.
McDonald’s Step-iT Wristband
To cash in on the wearables craze, McDonald's released Step-iT, an activity wristband designed for children. The popular fast food company gave out 29 million of these wristbands to U.S. children and 3.6 million to kids in Canada. The wristband was supposed to be a fun way to track activity, using bright colors and graphics that appealed to kids. They came as part of Happy Meals during August, 2016.
The wristbands are currently undergoing a recall that began in late summer of 2016 after several dozen reports of kids getting rashes and blisters from wearing the wristbands. You can take your child's wristband into a McDonald's store for a free toy and a free snack. Kids should not continue to wear or play with the wrist bands.
Google Nest Smoke Alarm
In 2014, Google had to issue a recall of over 400,000 Nest smoke alarms. The reported problem was a feature of the product's operation, rather than the faulty equipment that caused the other recalls on this list. The Nest smoke alarm had a feature that allowed users to wave their hands in front of the alarm to turn it off. Google said that people could accidentally turn off the smoke alarms because of this motion sensor feature. The company assured news sites and consumers that faulty equipment was not the reason for recalling the Nest alarm.
Tech companies react quickly when they discover faulty products. Though these stories are astounding and a little frightening, the chances of your favorite smartphone or laptop overheating and blowing up are infinitesimal. You can keep using your devices with confidence, but keep an eye on tech news to be sure your products don't get recalled.
