ASUS adopts long-life notebook battery

ASUS is the latest notebook vendor to start using Boston-Power Sonata lithium-ion technology to help extend the life of its notebook batteries.

The batteries are now standard for ASUS B series models, which makes this the first big company to begin using Sonata technology as the standard offering with its commercial notebook. Boston-Power has a long-time relationship (two years IS long for a company of this youth!) with Hewlett-Packard. The thing that makes this latest development different is that the Boston-Power batteries are the standard batteries for the ASUS products, while HP sells them as long-life alternatives to its existing batteries.

The big pitch for the Sonata Long Life Battery is that it can triple the lifespan of a typical notebook battery, allowing for more charges and discharges without degrading performance. There is a three-year warranty on the ASUS batteries. Apparently, Boston-Power also remains the only lithium-ion battery maker to carry the Nordic Ecolabel certification, and they have now earned a similar certification in China from the China Environmental United CertificationCenter. The first model, ASUS B53, already shipping. The ASUS B43 is due soon.