HP is recalling hundreds of thousands of digital cameras following reports that they catch fire spontaneously.

The firm says the 679,000 R707 units it has sold worldwide are dangerous when used with non-rechargeable batteries. Connecting the camera to the mains while the batteries are inserted can cause them to overheat due to some dodgy firmware.

For more savvy users, a non-incendiary version of the firmware can be downloaded from HP's recall webpage here.

In other news, HP has acquired Swiss digital photo kiosk company Silverwire for an undisclosed sum. The firm operates 23,000 kiosks in 30 countries. HP's Vyomesh Joshi said: "We expect that this acquisition will allow HP to compete more vigorously in the retail photo printing market and position us to become a leading provider of digital integration services worldwide." ®