Asustek Cheats on Eee PC Battery Lifetime

Taiwanese notebook manufacturer is reportedly misleading its Eee PC 900 reviewers by sending units rigged with higher-capacity battery packs than the commercially available Eee PC 900 models. The advent of the 9-inch Eee PC model is an important milestone on an already saturated UMPC market.

Despite the fact that the Taiwanese manufacturer has already imposed its product as a reference design on the low-cost notebook sector, it tried to tamper with its reviewers' test results by shipping larger capacity battery packs along with the review units.

Asustek is currently offering two types of battery packs for its Eee PC sub-notebook. While the average 4400mAh battery can offer a total autonomy of about 1.5 hours of continuous use, the boosted 5800mAh model delivers about 2.5 hours of continuous pleasure. However, Asustek ships its Eee PC 900 units rigged by default with the 4400mAh battery version, but reviewers got their units equipped with the 5800mAh model.

Battery autonomy is an important aspect in mobile computing, and system builders usually strip down a few features (DVD writers or larger RAM) in order to increase the battery lifespan. By sending battery packs on steroids to the reviewers, Asustek tried to fool its users into believing that they get an extra hour of operation when they're away from the power outlet.

Of course, Asustek's scam was spotted just in time to raise a huge wave of protests on the specialized forums. Some of the first Eee PC adopters in Hong-Kong found it out too late and accused the company of having deliberately misled them.

Asus played the "mistake" card and announced that it is already looking for ways to start a battery replacement program targeted at its first buyers. The company also claimed that the upcoming models would be shipped by default with the 5800mAh battery pack.