Amazon has joined the trend set by Samsung in knocking Apple in its commercials. Amazon’s latest commercial for its range of Kindle devices goes all out to make the point that you can buy three Kindle devices for the cost of one iPad. That would be two Kindle Fire tablets and one Kindle which would come to a total cost of $477.

This is not the first time that Amazon has made comparisons with the iPad. In a previous Kindle commercial, Amazon made the point that the Kindle was easier to read in direct sunlight, is smaller, lighter and less expensive than Apple’s iPad too. This time it is purely about the price and no mention of feature comparisons.

The Kindle Fire does appear to be the closest competitor to the iPad so far. It is extremely cheap to buy at just $199 however it also lacks a lot of the main features that the iPad has to offer. It will be interesting to see how it is selling if Amazon ever reveals any figures.

Source: TNW

An iPhone 4 caused a major scare on an Australian passenger flight when it appeared to commence self combustion. The iPhone 4 belonging to one of the passengers on Regional Express flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney started to emit a significant amount of dense smoke accompanied by a red glow.

Luckily the aircraft had already landed when the incident started and a flight attendant carried out recovery actions which included extinguishing the iPhone. The incident has been reported to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ASTB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The iPhone is also now in the possession of the ASTB for analysis.

Source:  Rex Press Release, [AV Herald](http://avherald.com/h?article=446c4f7f&opt=0 3:30 PM), thanks Phil!

Foxconn’s Chengdu, China based iPad 2 factory suffered an explosion earlier today which killed at least two people.

Foxconn said the situation has been brought under control by the fire department and the “cause of the explosion is being investigated by local police.” The company said it is cooperating with the investigation and production at the site has been suspended until the investigation is completed.

It apparently occurred in the “polishing plant” at around 7pm local time.

“We are working with medical officials to provide treatment to the injured employees and we are working with government and law enforcement officials to contact the families of all employees affected by this tragedy,” Foxconn said in its statement, confirming the fatalities and 16 injuries.

Our hearts are with the people of Foxconn, their friends, and families.

Update: Apple has issued a statement [Mobilizer]

“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn’s plant in Chengdu, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” Apple said in a statement provided to All Things D. “We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event.”

[The Wall Street Journal]

What’s with Apple and fire this month? First Cupertino, now the first generation iPod Nano? (Not to mention MobileMe‘s early crashes and burns…). And this one is scary enough that I admit it had me staring at my own uber-battery packing iPhone just a tad more nervously than usual. The good news is, however, according to CNet AppleCare is all up in fixing the problem:

Apple has determined that in very rare cases batteries in first generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat causing failure and deformation of the iPod nano. Apple has received very few reports of such incidents (less than 0.001 percent of first generation iPod nano units), which have been traced back to a single battery supplier. There have been no reports of serious injuries or property damage, and no reports of incidents for any other iPod nano model. Any first generation iPod nano customers who have experienced their battery overheating should contact AppleCare for a replacement. Any other customers who have concerns about their first generation iPod nano battery should also contact AppleCare.

As always, keep a close eye on your gadgets, especially as they get older. Look for frayed or damaged cables, discolored or distorted casing, and strange sounds or odors. And when in doubt, stop using it and take it to be checked. Better to waste your time than endanger your health or home.

(Mac users may also want to check their Mag Safe power adapters, which are currently experiencing similar issues).

Late last night, Casey posted about the the fire Apple’s Cupertino campus. Now, more information is becoming available. According to Apple Insider:

The building [where the fire broke out], also known as Valley Green Six, is one of the most famous buildings on the Apple campus, as it is known to house a number of hardware-based research and development projects that are underway at the company.

Not good news, but now that everyone is out, safely and soundly, perhaps I can overact with: Merciful Buddha, I hope they got the iPhone 4G (and 5G?) out in time!

As to the cause, while MobileMe jokes and quips about someone trying to boot up one of the secret new quad-core MacBook Air’s, turns out:

Hal Rooney, deputy chief for Santa Clara County Fire, said the fire may have started under an air conditioning unit on the second floor. Local television station KNTV reported that maintenance crews had been working on the air conditioning systems in the building earlier in the day.

Again, everyone here wishes well all the Apple employees, their families, and loved ones, and speedy recovery for the Apple R&D team and their continually universe-denting R&D team.

Apple’s Headquarters in Cupertino caught fire overnight. A three-alarm fire burned in the building known as Valley Green 6. The Santa Clara Fire Department received reports of smoke at about 10 P.M. Pacific Time. No injuries have been reported and the building was cleared. At about midnight Pacific Time the fire dispatcher was still uncertain on when the fire would be contained.

We’re not exactly sure what goes on in the Valley Green 6 building but the obvious joke would be that it houses MobileMe. On a more serious note, we at TiPb hope that the firefighters are able to contain the fire and get home safe. Hopefully, everything and everybody will be okay.

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