Exploding Dell batteries

Hmmmm.....Dell recall 4.1m batteries . Scenes similar to the one on the right are not unfamiliar sites to users of certain Dell laptops. It would appear that the high tech Lithium Ion batteries manufactured by Sony that have been supplied with these laptops may have a manufacturing problem. This problem causes the batteries to run ever hotter until eventually they burst in to flames.

However, the key to this story is that the batteries have been made by Sony and that the problem appears to be down to tiny shards of metal left in the battery during the manufacturing process. These shards eventually cause the battery to short-circuit and then thermal runaway and fire is the only outcome.

So.......Who else uses Lithium Ion batteries manufactured by Sony? Apple for one, Lenova for another and Sony of course. But does this problem ONLY affect laptop batteries or could any Lithium Ion batter manufactured by Sony be a potential problem. Blimey, I've loads of Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries, I use them in my digital camera, in my MP3 player, in kids games around the house, I'm sure many others have many more in use - maybe in fire detectors (now how tragic would that be if the device designed to detect fires were to catch fire itself).

With all these potential explosive devices in everyday objects who needs liquid explosives to bring down planes?