Computer maker Toshiba has announced a recall for over 40,000 Satellite T-series notebooks over a potential burn hazard: the computers can overheat where the AC adapters plug into the computer, to the point where the computer’s base could melt. Toshiba says that it has received two reports of minor injuries due to the defect; however, there have been 129 reports of melting around the AC adapter plug, and two reports of minor property damage.
And here’s the interesting twist: rather than recalling the units to Toshiba for repair or replacement, Toshiba is urging consumers to update the BIOS in affected machines. The BIOS updates prevent the computer from getting into a condition where they could overheat; if the BIOs determines that a failure in the DC-in harness is already occurring, the BIOS will shut down external power in order to prevent any overheating: at that point, users will no longer be able to charge their batteries or run the system off AC power, and they’ll need to contact Toshiba for free warranty repair.
The recall impacts a wide range of Toshiba Satellite T135, T135D, and Satellite Pro T130 systems sold worldwide between August 2009 and August 2010. Separate BIOS updates are available for different models.
The recall is being conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.