Overhauled Dell adapters ship again

Mobility Electronics is shipping redesigned power adapters for Dell notebooks, following the recall of potentially defective units by the computer maker.

The mobile accessory maker said on Tuesday that the adapter sold under the Dell brand has been retrofitted to make it difficult to insert third-party cords. Mobility redesigned the product after Dell decided to replace the power adapter cord on about 38,000 notebooks it had sold.

Though no consumers reported any harm while using the adapter, Dell's decision was promoted by lab tests that showed the adapter could produce an electrical shock if used with any cord other than the one it is packaged with from the factory.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Mobility said the retrofit of adapters in its inventory is likely to be completed in the third quarter of 2004. Dell started selling the adapter for its Inspiron and Latitude notebooks in January for between $90 and $110. The cord is designed to work in a car or on a plane.

"We are very pleased that the modifications were completed quickly and that we have once again resumed shipments to Dell," Charlie Mollo, Mobility's CEO, said in a statement. "This paves the way for us to return to previous sales-run rates in the Dell channel as we move through the third quarter, followed by anticipated further growth in fourth quarter."