If you have a Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) mobile phone, you may want to pay attention to a new battery recall that is affecting a wide range of Nokia cell phones. The company is estimating that some 46 million batteries will be affected by its current recall due to the possibility of overheating while the batteries are charging.

The company is offering to replace batteries free of charge for its customers that have the model BL-5C battery that was manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. between Dec. 2005 and Nov. 2006.

So far there have been no injuries reported as a result of the overheating problem, but there have been about 100 complaints globally of batteries overheating while charging. Nokia is careful to point out that the problems are only occurring while the batteries are in the charging process.

So, check out your phones, and see if you have the BL-5C battery and, if so, take the time to stop by your local Nokia dealer and check if you need to get your battery replaced. Even though there are still no injuries, there is no reason to push your luck, take the time to change your battery, it's just one less thing to worry about!

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last two years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.

When Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) had the Walkman and the Watchman and Playstation first appeared, the company was viewed as the premier consumer electronics company in the world. Sony was on the cutting edge. It was the innovator.

Perhaps that crown has passed to Apple. Maybe even Microsoft with its Xbox succees. And, perhaps, Nintendo.

Sony has lost the crown, and it probably will not get it back.

Sony lost $175 million in the quarter that just ended. Its recall of faulty PC batteries was partially to blame. The company also said its game division was in real trouble. Sony has already started cutting prices of its new Playstation3, and Playstation portables are not selling well.

Things had been going well for Sony's shareholders after the appointment of Howard Stringer as the new CEO. But, then things started to fall apart, again.

Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) makes the batteries for the laptops from companies like Dell, which as you know are being recalled due to overheating and fires. Sony is also being damaged by concerned that its new PlayStation 3 will launch late. To complicate the competitive landscape, Microsoft has been updating its XBox gaming system and upping its marketing spending. Sony's shares have dropped from about $53 in late April to $39 yesterday.

Under Mr. Stringer it would appear that little has improved, despite the initial optimism of his appointment. The recent bad news could also hurt the company financially, with the battery recall cost hitting as much as $500 million.

Sony is not longer viewed as the engineering powerhouse it once was, introducing innovative products virtually every year. That mantle seems to have passed to Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

With Sony on a spiral down, perhaps Apple will learn something about the road ahead.

Douglas McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Is this a line dance? Last week, Dell's recall of 4.1 billion Sony-manufactured laptop batteries must have sent every laptop manufacturer scurrying to their quality control department. I should have just gone ahead and bought the domain, "applebatteryrecall.com" right then, because here it is 10 days later and guess who's recalling Sony batteries now?

Yep, Apple. The cutest of all computer companies only has 1.8 million batteries as a part of its recall, from 12" iBook G4, 12" PowerBook G4 and 15" PowerBook G4 laptops sold between October 2003 and August 2006 in the U.S. Unfortunately for the headline writers, no Apple laptops actually caught fire, although two consumers did receive minor burns when their laptop overheated.

While no one likes a recall, it doesn't seem as if either Apple or Dell will feel it on the bottom line; and, in fact, Apple stock is up a tick on the news, 21 cents, to $67.52. Sony Corp (SNE), on the other hand, is down nearly 3% to $43.27.

[Photo courtesy Dat Nguyen]