Posted on Tuesday, July 10 2007 @ 2:20 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Cell phone makers Nokia and Motorola warn that Chinese authorities have discovered four counterfeit phone battery models that may explode if used.
"We are cooperating with the Guangdong government on further investigations," said Yang Boning, a Beijing-based spokesman for Motorola. Cai Yun, a Beijing-based spokeswoman for Nokia, said the Finnish company was willing to provide original batteries to authorities for testing.
Xiao Jinpeng, 22, was killed June 19 when the battery exploded in a Motorola phone he had in his shirt pocket, causing his ribs to splinter and pierce his heart, the Lanzhou Morning Post reported July 4 on its Web site. Motorola is investigating the incident and has not determined yet if the handset is a Motorola phone, Yang said Friday.
By some estimates, more than 10 million fake mobile phone batteries are produced each year in China, the world's biggest mobile market by users, with about 15 percent exported, mostly to developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, said Yang Yuxing, an analyst at researcher BDA China.
"Fake batteries are very widespread in poorer areas, where people use their handsets longer and have to replace their batteries more often," Yang said. An authentic Nokia or Motorola battery may be seven times more expensive than a fake one, he said.
Source:
IHT.
