Sony Recalls 535,000 Vaio Notebooks Over Risk Of Overheating

Sony VAIO F-Series laptop

Sony is set to recall 535,000 Vaio notebooks due to the overheating issues. According to a notification issued by the Sony today, these affected notebook models may get so hot that even the cases may get overheated and get distorted due to a BIOS bug.

As many as 535,000 (259,000 in US, 103,000 in Europe, 120,000 in Asia, 52,000 in Japan) Vaio F and C series laptops that have been sold since January 2010. Sony has also said that an additional 111,000 units are also susceptible to other issues.

How To Fix ?

Sony has issued an BIOS update which can be downloaded from the links given below. Customers who own these affected model (see the list below) can either download this update and fix the issue themselves or they can also handover the notebooks to the Sony to take care of it. We have also learnt that Sony is arranging special pickup for the affected units.

Fix it Yourself:

Checkout if your notebook is a victim of the issue. You may also check your notebook is also a part of the affected series at Vaio Serial Number check page.

Sony VAIO Serial Number

If you find your notebook model under the affected series, then download the BIOS update from the links given below and install them.

VPCF11 series (EP0000225488.exe)

VPCCW2 series (EP0000225484.exe)

List of affected models:

Japanese models Non-Japanese models
VPCF119FJ/BI
VPCF118FJ/W
VPCF117FJ/W
VPCCW29FJ/W
VPCCW28FJ/P
VPCCW28FJ/R
VPCCW28FJ/W
VPCF11AFJ
VPCF11AGJ
VPCF11AHJ
VPCF11ZHJ
VPCCW2AFJ
VPCCW2AHJ
VPCCW25FG/B
VPCCW25FG/P
VPCCW25FG/W

Dell Inspiron 1546 Notebook Conexant D400 Modem Driver A00

dell inspiron 1546

A driver update has been released to Conexant USB modem driver for Dell Inspiron 1546 Notebook users running x64 Windows 7 version.The latest update Conexant D400 external USB modem driver A00 (released on May 25,, 2010) is an initial release with WHQL and  is a highly recommended download for Dell Inspiron 1546 users worldwide.

Download the latest driver from the direct download link given below.

Download:

Direct download link (file size: 1.92 MB, file: Conexant_D400-External-USB-5_A00_R223361.exe)

Note:

Don’t forget to create a system restore point before installing the driver that you have downloaded, System restore point, if set, can be used to roll back the wrong driver installation that may happen sometimes.

HP Pavilion DM3-1005AX Entertainment Notebook PC Review Price and Specifications

hp_logo

The HP Pavilion dm3-1005AX Entertainment Notebook PC is a thin and light laptop featuring AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual Core Mobile processor with a 13.3 inch High-Definition LED display and weighing only 1.91kg.

HP-Pavilion-dm3-1005ax

Belonging to the ULV(ultra-low voltage processor) computers category, HP Pavilion dm3 has a rich and slim design with fingerprint resistant brushed aluminum screen lid.

hp_dm3_1005ax_light

You can check out the full features and specifications of dm3-1005AX as follows:

Features Description
Operating system Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 32-bit
Processor AMD Turion™ Neo X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor for Ultrathin Notebooks L625
1.60 GHz, 1 MB L2 Cache, Up to1600 MT/s system bus running at AC/DC mode 18 watt
Memory (RAM) 4096 MB (2 x 2048 MB) DDR2 533 MHz
Hard Disk 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
Display 13.3” High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display
1366 x 768 Screen Resolution
Graphics card ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 Graphics With 512 MB dedicated memory
Ports 4 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ-45, 1 headphone-out, 1 Microphone in
Card Reader 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
Web Cam HP Webcam with Integrated digital Microphone
Speakers Altec Lansing speakers
Touchpad Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad
Keyboard Full size chicklet keyboard
Connectivity and Networking LAN: Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN
WiFi:    802.11b/g WLAN
Bluetooth® wireless networking
Weight 1.91 kg (Will vary by configuration)
Dimension 32.6 cm (L) x 23.0 cm (W) x 2.43 cm (min H) / 3.13 cm (max H)
Warranty 1 year, parts and labor
Power Supply 65 Watts AC Power Adapter
Battery 6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
Color Available Brushed Aluminum

* No internal DVD Drive

hp_dm3_1005ax

But now a days, what we also consider the most other than performance and design is the battery life. The included 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery will have a life of around 1 hour 30 minutes at high performance settings and under high usage. It may last  up to 2.5 hours in power optimized mode and when the usage is low.

Pros:

  • Good performance
  • Thin and light
  • Stylish
  • Value for money

Cons:

  • Low Battery Life
  • Tacky Touchpad

The price of the laptop is $ 1,499 in the US and Rs 44,990(INR) in India. For a slim, good performance, and a stylish design laptop, the ULV HP Pavilion dm3-1005AX can be a right choice at the right price.