Nokia recalls shocking chargers

Nokia doesn't want us to fry our little fingers, so it's offering a free exchange for 14 million mobile phone chargers that may pop open and zap you.

On some chargers, the plastic covers could come loose, exposing its internal gubbins, and potentially shocking you if it's plugged in and you touch it. Nokia says it doesn't think anyone's hair has been re-styled by their charger in this way, but better safe than sorry.

The recall doesn't affect any chargers with our awesomely superior UK-style pins, but if you picked up a charger to use abroad, it's worth checking whether you're affected.

These are the models you have to worry about:

• AC-3U
• AC-3E
• AC-4U
  

But wait: not all of these models are trouble. Nokia has provided exact dates in 2009 when the dodgy chargers were sold -- but who remembers when they bought anything? The best thing to do is check your model number and then pop along to Nokia's charger-exchange Web site. There's a wizard there that will walk you through the exchange process, and if your charger is one of those affected, you'll get a free replacement.

And use your common sense -- if the cover of your charger is coming off, don't plug it in.