averatec

Now shipping: Averatec Buddy Netbook

Announced last month, the Averatec Buddy is now shipping. Averatec's first Netbook is listed on its Web site as being in stock. The specs and price are the same as those reported in September: $449 gets you 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows XP Home. The 2.65-pound Netbook features a 10.2-inch display with a 1,024x600 WSVGA resolution. (You can ignore the erroneous specs on Averatec's site that state in some parts that it has a 12.1-inch display and a WXGA resolution.) Sadly, the Netbook features … Read more

New models from Lenovo and the 16:9 display trend: The week in laptops

With the back-to-school shopping season drawing to a close and the holiday shopping season not quite begun, life in the world of laptops is relatively quiet.

Relatively, but not completely: there were a handful of new products for notebook enthusiasts this week. Lenovo unveiled the wide-screen X200 Tablet and a sporty X200s at an event in New York. Dell announced two new business ultraportables, the Latitude E4200 and Latitude E4300. And Averatec launched the Buddy, which promptly won the Crave Best Netbook Name Ever™ award.

Meanwhile, we spent some time with the Asus N10, a Netbook that's not quite … Read more

Hey, little Buddy: Averatec announces Netbook

This week's Netbook entrant? The Averatec Buddy.

Announced today, the 10.2-inch laptop costs $449 and features the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows XP. It's not yet listed on the Averatec Web site, but upon first glance, it looks like the MSI Wind with a VAIO-like round hinge. While the press release is light on product details (size of battery? Screen resolution? Draft N Wi-Fi? Solid-state-drive options? Bluetooth? ExpressCard slot?), the Averatec Buddy on the surface serves up a larger hard drive than the MSI Wind for less. … Read more

Averatec takes another stab at the All-In-One

We don't recall if Averatec's old all-in-one ever made it to market in the U.S., but the Korean tech vendor best known for laptops showed us a new all-in-one desktop set to debut here soon.

The aptly named Averatec All-In-One looks more or less like a black iMac, in that it features an LCD screen with a sizable "chin" situated underneath it. There's only one model, which will go for $1,299 next month. For that you get:

22-inch LCD Windows Vista Home Premium 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo E4600 processor 2GB of DDR2 … Read more

Averatec announces semirugged Voya laptops

This week Averatec officially announced the release of two semirugged laptops: the 14.1-inch, standard-aspect Voya 4473 and the 15.4-inch wide-screen Voya 6494. Both Voya laptops combine magnesium alloy outer cases, corner bumpers, and a shock-mounted hard drive to help withstand vibration and drops. The laptops also incorporate a spill-resistant keyboard and touch pad.

We had a chance to see these during a recent visit to the company's Santa Ana, Calif., offices. Reminiscent of the semirugged Twinhead Durabooks we've reviewed in the past, the Voya laptops felt sturdy enough to withstand a drop or two (we'll … Read more

Summer of the ultraportable laptop

It's no secret that we have a soft spot for supersmall laptops. Ultraportables, as they're called, generally have 11- or 12-inch screens and weigh in at less than four pounds--perfect for lugging around all day or hanging at the local coffee shop with. Unfortunately, these guys are usually plagued by the twin devils of high prices and poor battery life (not to mention occasionally underpowered processors).

This, however, has clearly been the summer of the ultraportable, with a generous handful of exciting new systems generating heavy buzz. But with all these new choices, which one is right for … Read more

Averatec launches 11.1-inch laptop

Today, Averatec announced the new 1579 ultraportable laptop, which features an 11.1-inch wide-screen display, 1-inch thickness, and 3.4-pound weight. The rest of the specs:

1.06GHz Intel Core Duo U2400 ultralow voltage processor 1GB DDR2 RAM (1GB max) 120GB, 5,400 rpm hard drive Dual-layer DVD burner Three USB 2.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader Windows Vista Home Premium

Because we're used to Averatec pricing its laptops so aggressively, the new laptop's $1,300 price tag struck us as merely average for its specs. Nevertheless, the Averatec 1579 promises to … Read more

An ultraportable laptop for $849

No, that's not a typo. In a world where ultraportables regularly hit the $2,000 mark, Averatec has created a niche with its small, inexpensive systems that are loaded with some pretty compelling components for the price. Thus it is with the just-announced Averatec 2300, a 4-pound system with a 1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50 processor, a 12.1-inch WXGA display, a 100GB hard drive, and a built-in double-layer DVD burner, all for the low, low starting price of $849.

We're eager to see whether the new laptop improves upon its predecessor, the Averatec 2260, which … Read more