Japanese know-how makes a difference

Darius Chang | Aug 18, 2006

Editors' update:

There is an update on Fujitsu's use of third-party notebook batteries. According to new information from its engineers, some laptop models sold outside Japan are bundled with third-party power cells instead of Fujitsu-made batteries as mentioned in the article.

With Dell's recall of its Sony-manufactured notebook batteries early this week, the safety of power cells have hit the spotlight. Since Sony laptop cells are used by several other vendors, the question of how this may impact non-Dell systems has been raised.

According to a recent report by Reuters, a Fujitsu spokesman claims that most Japanese makers design their charging systems such that high voltage does not pass directly from the AC adapters to computer batteries, hence avoiding spectacular pyrotechnic-like power cell failures. We spoke to Fujitsu PC Asia Pacific and were told that it manufactures its own notebook batteries for models sold outside Japan and does not rely on third-party power cells.

When approached by CNET Asia on whether its VAIO notebook line would be impacted, Sony Asia Pacific mentions that there have been no reported cases of battery failure in its product line. Moreover, "Sony's VAIO adopts its own design for safety technology," says the the Japanese vendor, "the battery charging system that VAIO uses is different from that of Dell."