Sony is recalling about 438,000 Vaio TZ-series notebooks worldwide that may overheat and cause burns, the company said Thursday.

The number of recalled laptops sold in the United States is 72,800, a Sony spokesman said.

According to a statement issued by Sony and the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the problem is related to irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge, which can cause a short circuit and overheating.

The problem affects the Vaio VGN-TZ100 series, VGN-TZ200 series, VGN-TZ300 series, and VGN-TZ2000 series, which were sold through the SonyStyle stores and Web site, as well as electronics retailers, as well as authorized business-to-business dealers nationwide from July 2007 through August 2008 for between $1,700 and $4,000.

Sony has received 15 reports of overheating, including one consumer who suffered a minor burn. The company said it would inspect and repair affected computers, if needed.

Consumers are advised to contact Sony toll-free at 888-526-6219 or visit the company’s support Web page.

In 2006, Sony had to conduct a multimillion-dollar battery recall due to overheating issues.

Source: CNET

A virus designed to swipe passwords from online gamers has inexplicably popped up in some laptop computers aboard the International Space Station.

According to a NASA planning document obtained by SPACE.com, the worm was identified as W32.Gammima.AG. The California-based retail anti-virus software manufacturer Symantec describes it as a Windows-based worm which spreads by copying itself onto removable media. It is capable of stealing passwords for online games and is classified as a very low risk, according to Symantec’s Web site.

Humphries said that while NASA security protocols prohibit discussing details of the virus and efforts to combat it, a search is under way to find out how it got on board the space station more than 200 miles above Earth.

“We’ll do our best to track down how it got there and close that gateway,” Humphries said. “This is not a frequent occurrence but we have had viruses that have made their way on board before.”

New flash memory cards due to launch to the station aboard a Russian cargo ship next month have been screened for the virus, the NASA document stated. Not all of the 71 laptop computers currently aboard the station run Windows, and those that do and are vulnerable to viruses could be updated, it went on.

The space station is currently home to three astronauts: Russian cosmonaut commander Sergei Volkov, cosmonaut flight engineer Oleg Kononenko and NASA flight engineer Greg Chamitoff. Volkov and Kononenko are due to return to Earth in October, while Chamitoff is slated to stay until his replacement arrives during NASA’s planned November space shuttle mission.

Source: Fox News