This Friday Nvidia released a notice voluntarily recalling 83,000 of their 8-inch Shield tablets that were sold in the U.S. and 5,000 that were sold in Canada. Nvidia states that they have a battery that is susceptible to overheating and may pose a fire hazard. They also say that no other Shield products are part of the recall.
According to a spokesman for Nvidia, four reports have been made in the U.S. stating that the batteries overheated, including two instances where the overheating caused damage to the flooring. Thermal runaway was named as the cause, which is basically when the increase in the temperature of the battery leads to a further temperature increase in the device – eventually leading to destruction.
Due to the flaw, Nvidia has advised consumers to back up their data then stop using the tablet. To get a replacement you can head to this website and fill out the form. The site will also walk you through the steps of how to tell if your tablet is one of the ones effected by the recall. To save you some time, though, I’ll explain how to do that.
First go into your Settings page. Click “About”, then select “Status”. Once there you will find the codename for your battery. If it says B01, then you’re fine. If your battery is a Y01, however; then your tablet is one of the ones that has been recalled and it’d be wise to have it replaced.
