When Sony says its new Vaios are hot, the company isn't screwing around. It has recalled a total of 440,000 units worldwide, due to concerns about overheating and short circuiting.

The recall includes some 74,000 units in the U.S. The notebooks were recalled after 15 users called Sony complaining about overheating--one of whom suffered a minor burn.

"Sony has initiated a voluntary program to perform a free inspection and, if necessary, a repair to ensure these units meet our high quality standards," the company stated on its Web site.

The recall units include the VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300, and VGN-TZ2000 series.