FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Home appliances cause an estimated 150,000 fires a year, resulting in 150 deaths and more than $500 million in property damage.
A new Consumer Reports investigation has turned up disturbing findings. Although many of those fires are due to human error, a troubling number are caused by defective appliances.
Consumer Reports reviewed 69,000 reports of house fires blamed on appliances between 2002 and 2009. Its investigation found at least 23 percent of the fires were clearly attributable to problems with the appliances-mechanical, electrical, or design flaws. In some instances the appliances turned on by themselves.
Faulty appliances causing the most fires were ranges, followed by dryers, air conditioners, refrigerators, and dishwashers.
In the past five years, more than 7 million dishwashers have been recalled because of defects that could cause a fire. And almost 8 million other appliances have been recalled for fire risks.
To find out whether an appliance you own has been recalled, you can go to www.recalls.gov. And be sure to register your appliances with the manufacturer so that you're notified in the event of a recall.
Why are so many recalls due to fire hazards? Consumer Reports says it's because appliances have gotten a lot more complex, so more can go wrong. And many recalled products are being manufactured abroad, the majority in China.
Until appliance design and quality are improved, Consumer Reports says, homeowners are left to wonder whether appliances in their homes are safe.
In response to Consumer Reports' investigation, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said, "designing and manufacturing safe products" is a top priority of its members.
As for homeowners, important steps you can take- register new appliances with the manufacturer so you'll receive recall notices. And don't run your dryer or dishwasher overnight or when you're away.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/consumer&id=8525419
See: Profile
Faulty fire-causing appliances
Read User's Comments0
Refurbished Moto Xoom tablets being sold with previous owners' data
A small number of refurbished Motorola Xoom tablets sold on flash sale site Woot.com late last year might still contain data from the devices' previous owners, Motorola Mobility said.
The Libertyville-based company said about 100 out of 6,200 refurbished Xoom Wi-Fi tablets were potentially affected. Woot.com sold the devices between October and December, Motorola Mobility said in a statement. The old data that could be accessed by new owners may include photos, documents and user names and passwords for e-mail and social media accounts.
To protect consumers whose tablets might have been resold on Woot.com, Motorola Mobility said it is providing a free two-year membership to an Experian credit monitoring service to people who purchased and returned a Xoom Wi-Fi tablet to Amazon.com, Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, eBay, Office Max, Radio Shack, Sam's Club or Staples between March and October 2011. The company is recommending that original owners change their passwords to e-mail accounts and social media sites. Previous owners that performed a factory data reset on their tablet before returning the device should be safe.
Motorola Mobility said it is "actively pursuing the return of the impacted refurbished units." Consumers that bought a Xoom from Woot.com between October and December 2011 can also visit motorola.com/xoomreturn or call customer support at 1-800-734-5870.
"Motorola has confirmed that any refurbished units sold outside the time period in question were properly refurbished," the company said.
Motorola Mobility has struggled to get the Xoom to catch on with consumers. It sold 1 million tablets in 2011. Apple, which dominates the tablet market, sold 15.4 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/PersonalTech-Updates/Refurbished-Moto-Xoom-tablets-being-sold-with-previous-owners-data/SP-Article1-807348.aspx
See: Profile
Read User's Comments0
Pentax reveals high-end, compact K-01 camera
Pentax fans will be delighted to know they won't have to make do with the ill-starred Pentax Q when it comes to higher-end compact cameras.
Thanks to a gun-jumping announcement by camera retail powerhouse B&H Photo Video, details on the rumored Pentax's K-01 have now emerged. The camera uses the relatively large APS-C-sized sensor and corresponding K mount lenses from Pentax's SLR line, but omits the bulk-inducing flip-up reflex mirror used for SLRs' optical viewfinders.
Update 5:10 p.m. PT: Pentax has officially announced the camera, and B&H's specs were spot on. Pentax also showed sharp-looking yellow and white versions of the camera body, instructed us that we're to pronounce the camera name "K zero one," and said it'll cost $750 for the camera body or $900 with a new 40mm pancake f2.8 lens when it ships in March. The lens alone costs $250.
In short, Pentax seems to have made more of a mini-SLR than a mega-compact, compensating for the runty Pentax Q sensor with a large, premium-sensor design (though, of course, it's not nearly as vast and expensive as the sensor in the medium-format Pentax 645D camera). The K-01 approach means that Pentax shooters can keep their lenses--a contrast to how Sony came up with its new E mount for its NEX line of compact interchangeable-lens cameras with APS-C sensors.
Pentax's choice also means that the K-01 design is relatively bulky. Smaller sensors don't offer the same image quality, but they permit smaller lenses. Overall, the approach tilts more in the direction of a smaller option for SLR shooters than the step-up camera for compact camera owners.
Cutting down on the bulk will be the new pancake lens, the Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 XS, which B&H also revealed. The retailer is accepting preorders for the camera and said the lens will ship in March.
The K-01's 16-megapixel sensor has a range up to ISO 25,600 and can shoot H.264-encoded video at 1080p and 30 frames per second or 720p at 60fps, B&H said. The K-01 also uses Pentax's sensor-shift technology to counteract camera shake.
The camera can shoot bursts of 6 frames per second and use shutter speeds up to 1/4000 second, B&H said. It's got a pop-up flash and a mode for shooting in-camera HDR (high dynamic range) images. The camera and lens were designed by Marc Newson.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57370191-264/pentax-reveals-high-end-compact-k-01-camera/
See: Profile
Read User's Comments0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)