HP forced to recall its USB drives that are a choking hazard

By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY: Hewlett Packard has been forced into a national recall of one of its USB drives, with the memory stick’s form factor being labeled a choking hazard. Even worse for the supplier is the USB drive’s design: the Kung Fu Panda theme makes the product especially appealing for children.

“The product does not comply with the Trade Practices Act mandatory standard for toys for children up to and including 36 months of age. The cap on the flash drive (corresponding to the panda’s pants) falls within the measurements used by some regulatory agencies to define a choking hazard for small children,” reports the ACCC.

The ACCC further reports that Hewlett Packard “will notify known recipients of the affected promotional USB flash drive via telephone or electronic mail”.