Lenovo, which has its North American headquarters in Morrisville, is recalling 160,000 of its desktop PCs that were sold between May 2010 and January 2012.

The company has determined that the power supply ThinkCentre M70z and ThinkCentre M90z PCs can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

Lenovo has received reports of two fires that resulted in damage to the PCs worldwide.

The company recommends that owners immediately stop using the affected computers, and unplug the power cord. Only certain ThinkCentre M90z and M70z PCs sold in this timeframe are affected. The company says the affected systems can be identified by machine type and serial number.

For more information about the recall go here.

Apex High School's Academy of Information Technology has earned another prized program thanks to Lenovo and the National Academy Foundation.

As noted in today's article by Caitlin Baker, Apex High is one of five high schools selected to take part in a test program in which students will learn how to design and market mobile apps. The AOIT students at Apex High will work in teams to create a real-world mobile app during the 12-week, after-school course.

Lenovo donated 30 Android-based ThinkPad tablets and several ThinkCentre HD All-in-One desktop computers for the program; the company worked with NAF and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop the curriculum. Not only will it teach students technology skills such as coding and programming, but also how to create a business plan to market their apps.

Apex was chosen in part because of its 10-year relationship with NAF and its proximity to Lenovo's headquarters in Morrisville. In addition, the new curriculum coincides with North Carolina's Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics initiative.

Lenovo and NEC officially launched their joint venture in Japan today.

The NEC Lenovo Japan Group, as the venture is called, will be Japan's largest PC provider. The two companies have a combined market share of nearly 25 percent in Japan.

Lenovo, which has a headquarters in Morrisville that employs about 1,625 employees, announced the joint venture earlier this year.

Lenovo as a 51 percent ownership stake in the joint venture.

The two have also reportedly talked about expanding the venture to include servers, to give NEC greater access to the Chinese market.

In a statement issued today, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing, said: "We would like to stress again that we are fully committed to the Japanese market and we are determined to continue to lead the PC industry in Japan and expand this strategic alliance beyond the PC business."

Dell doesn't want to be outdone by rival Lenovo on the advertising front.

Dell plans to start an $80 million ad campaign this month, to help boost slowing sales of its personal computers, Bloomberg News reported.

Chinese PC maker Lenovo, which has a headquarters in Morrisville, started its own ad campaign last month, with an estimated cost of $100 million.

The campaigns even feature similar, dueling taglines.

PC maker Lenovo has teamed up with DoSomething.org to encourage teens to do their part to help make the world a better place -- with the help of two stars from the NBC comedy "Community."

In addition to fostering good deeds, it's a way for Lenovo -- which is going more aggressively after the consumer market -- to get its brand in front of teens. The No. 4 computer maker is based in China but has a headquarters in Morriville.

"Community" actors Alison Brie and Danny Pudi are spokespeople for the 11-day "Scavenger Hunt" that calls on teens to "save the world in 11 days."

Lenovo began selling its line of consumer laptops for the first time at Best Buy stores on Sunday.

The deal is part of a broader push by the Chinese computer maker to sell more products directly to consumers in the United States. Lenovo, which bought IBM's PC division in 2005 and has a world headquarters in Morrisville, sells mostly to corporate customers in this country.

But the company has made it clear it wants to attract more consumers from rivals such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard.

More than 1,000 Best Buy stores began carrying the Lenovo B560 and IdeaPad Z565 laptop, while 200 stores will carry the Lenovo V560 laptop.

Lenovo is winning customers in Russia and India, two important emerging markets for the personal-computer company, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The company is offering colorful and cut-rate models that attract first-time and low-income buyers. Lenovo also is using retail franchisees who understand the individual markets and increasing advertising. That includes one of the world's biggest billboards, a 1,300-foot-long spot near the Kremlin, the newspaper reports.

Lenovo, which bought IBM's PC business in 2005, is trying to offset slower sales in the U.S. and other developed markets. The Chinese company has a headquarters facility in Morrisville, where it employs about 1,500 people who design, test and market laptops and other products.

Personal computer maker Lenovo reported this morning that net income jumped 44 percent during its second quarter, driven by stronger sales in the U.S. and Europe.

The maker of Thinkpad laptops and other products is the latest technology company to get a boost from revived corporate tech spending.

“They have been simply the biggest market-share gainers this year,” Bhavtosh Vajpayee, who rates Lenovo shares “outperform” at CLSA Ltd. in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg News. Lenovo is “one of the biggest beneficiaries” as companies upgrade dated computers, he said.

Lenovo, which bought IBM's PC business in 2005, moved its headquarters to Morrisville, where it employs about 1,500 workers. 

Lenovo Group reported a $55 million quarterly profit, driven by rising sales of personal computers and other products in China and other emerging markets.

The results are an improvement from a year earlier when the company reported a $16 million loss, and are the latest indication that spending on technology continues to revive globally.

Still, the profit was weaker than analysts had expected, and Lenovo shares fell overnight in Hong Kong, Bloomberg News reported.

Its American depositary receipts, which are similar to common shares for foreign companies, fell 40 cents today to $12.03. The ADRs are down 2 percent this year.

MMI Public Relations is moving deeper into Cary.

The growing company, which has a Raleigh address but resides on the Cary side of the towns' border, bought a pair of buildings at 223 E. Chatham St.

The company is expected to move in by the end of the year, said MMI founder Patty Briguglio, whose 6-year-old company has 22 employees and represents 60 clients including Lenovo, Bayer CropScience and the Carolina Mudcats.

As MMI has grown, it has expanded to 3,000 square feet, bit by bit, in several office condos at 7406 Chapel Hill Road. But the patchwork expansions have created some inefficiencies. "We have an upstairs, a downstairs and you have to go across the parking lot," Briguglio said.

With space getting tighter, she decided to play the market rather than add another patch.

The new buildings, which total 6,000 square feet, sit on 0.62 of an acre on the edge of downtown Cary.

MMI paid Avalon Partners $617,500, county property records show. The price was 5.5 percent more than the assessed value.