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Battery Exposition Puts China in the Dock
 TMCnet Contributing Editor
Officials from Nokia ( News - Alert) and Motorola are reportedly investigating whether counterfeit products are being passed off as their brands in Asia, according to several online reports including UPI Business News.
The suspicion aroused after A Chinese man in the Gansu province died last week when the battery in his Motorola ( News - Alert) cell phone exploded.
Batteries of both Motorola and Nokia phones have reportedly failed recent safety tests in China. But both companies have denied the report. They say those products were counterfeited in China's Guangdong province.
The phone troubles come at a time international companies are expressing concern at growing number of counterfeit products in China.
In its own defense, Motorola said its Chinese-made batteries come from suppliers that pass strict vendor requirements.
Nokia also defended its batteries. “The lithium batteries have more energy density than previous generations of batteries,” the report quoted Chicago Tribune newspaper quoted Nokia spokesman Keith Nowak as saying.
While there have been several reports of injuries in the past, this appears to be the first fatality resulting from a cell phone battery explosion.
Consequently, counterfeiting is of added concern because it involves a potentially combustible material.
So far, the story ends up casting a cloud of suspicion. Whatever be the suspicion, it has not yet been determined whether the battery was an original Motorola battery or not.
In the old days, if a battery went bad the phone went dead, Nowak said. It's a whole different matter now where something more serious can happen.
According to the report, an investigation into the man’s death is ongoing.
"Motorola's priority is, and always has been, the safety of our customers, and all Motorola products are designed, manufactured and tested to meet or exceed international and local standards for consumer safety and performance," Motorola spokesperson Jennifer Erickson told TechNewsWorld.
"At this time, preliminary evidence suggests that it is highly unlikely that a cell phone caused this accident; however, we are cooperating with the Chinese authorities to determine and investigate the root cause," Erickson added. "Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family and friends," she said.
With three billion cell phone subscribers worldwide, concerns arise to why it happened only in China.
Chinese authorities have advised cell phone users in the country to minimize phone calls and to use only batteries from reputable manufacturers, a Forbes report said.
The report also noted that Chinese authorities have classified the accident as a corporate safety issue, and ordered the iron mill to pay 100,000 yuan (US$13,159) to the man’s family.
Narayan Bhat is a contributing writer for TMCnet
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