Averatec 1000 Series arrives
By Peter Rojas 
posted May 22nd 2005 7:08PM
posted May 22nd 2005 7:08PM
There's no fronting that their laptops aren't on the budget tip, but Averatec has just pasted up specs and pricing
on their site for the AV1050, their new ultraportable
1000 Series laptop. At 3.6 pounds it's not quite as light as Sony's TR Series, Sharp's Actius MM20, or
Fujitsu's LifeBook P7010, but for $1380 you get a 1-inch
thick laptop that sports a 10.6-inch WXGA screen, a 1.1GHz Pentium M processor, 512MB RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a
DVD/CD-RW combination drive, built-in 802.11b/g, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader.
[Thanks, Roy and Heath
Save your money folks. My friend bought one.....and will soon be taking it back. The screen is horrible. The blacks? Nasty contrast.
Is this the new Averatec iBuch?
wow. a bad ibook knock-off.
Terrible screen is what prevented me from buying another Averatec notebook. This is the first thing a customer looks at, and what does Averatec provide? TFT technology from 1995.
Wow, you're a superficial bunch. This is a great light laptop with plenty of capability, and you want a Cinema display? Choices, people, choices. If you need mobility for regular office work at a low price, get this. (And it has quite a bit more features than a similarly priced iBook, I might add). If you need a portable video editor, get something else...a Powerbook or something. This isn't intended to even compete with a powerbook. Those are two completely different markets. There's no doubt
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There's no doubt that Averatecs feel plasticky in construction, but they do a very competent job at an amazing price point. Tradeoffs are normal. Some people prefer to spend twice as much money, others can live with a slightly less incredible screen.
Unlike the rest of the naysayers on this post, I've actually seen and played with the new 1000 in person. The screen really isn't that bad, and I think you'd be suprised at the feel of this one, it's a big step up from the current 12.1" model they have out there. Overall its a pretty solid little notebook. Only time will tell if these are worth the $1400 they are asking but my first impressions were positive.
By the way, CompUSA's seem to be getting these in right now, that's where I saw this one.
The links above seem messed up, but I see this more as a cheap competitor to the 10.6" Fujitsu P series and the Sony Vaio T series, than being an iBook knock-off. Last I checked Apple hasn't made an ultraportable that small, with their smallest being a 12" design. Yeah, I know, Apple owns the color white, right? Though I think the Averatec's are supposed to be available in a few other colors as well.
http://www.averatec.com/notebooks/1000series.htm
They do seem kind of cheap in person. I would spend my money elsewhere, or save a little more before getting one of these...
EVDO Guy - According to Infosyncworld.com, it has a Type II PCMCIA expansion slot. The Fujitsu P series and Sony Vaio T series 10.6" ultraportables both do as well.
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/5962.html
I never know why companies like to copy the iBook when the Powerbook is much more attractive. The screen is a little small, I think 12" should be the standard. At least it has built-in G wireless.
Does anyone know the max ram. I know the installed ram is 512. If it maxes out at 512, than screw averatec. Their build quality sucks, and so does their cust. service. And at 1200, for just a few hundred more you can get a p7010..a better machine (with 2 sodimm slots!)
The (older) 3500 series can support 1 gig ram...can't imagine this one wouldn't support at least that.
anyone make a notebook the size of a CD case? (thicker is ok)
that would be perfect, you can throw it in a glove compartment, or in a coat pocket, and still have a keyboard big enough to touch type. better yet, a butterfly keyboard (a la thinkpad 701cs http://bharucha.com/tp701/byte/503010a1.htm ) but that would probalby make it thicker.
given the existance of http://www.oqo.com the thechnology is obviously there.
to poster #15 check out the sony u series on ebay.
As far as max ram goes..I have been looking at these for a while, I think they really do max out at 512 ram. I dont see ANYTHING about it online one way or the other.
@Ron
"And it has quite a bit more features than a similarly priced iBook, I might add"
iBook G4 1,25Ghz 12" - 1249$ (No discounts, Retail Price.. And this machine is from October 2004.. Soon we will see a new model.. Probably at WWDC..) 1194$ Education Discount
512Mb - 80Gb - WLan G - BLUETOOTH - RADEON 9200 32MB
For 130$ - 200$ You could buy 20 12-in-1 memory card readers if you want ;) or something more useful for the road, like another battery or a good bag..
More features? Except for weight, memory card reader and higher dpi screen.. The Averatec has a slower processor, a poorer graphics chip with virtual memory and a screen too small...
Also, isn't an inch thick as the article says, its thicker than the ibook..
10.47" x 7.97" x 1.16" (Front) - 1.36" (Back) - from the Averatec website..
11.2 inches 9.06 inches 1.35 inches
And what about battery life? Not only weight matters in a notebook..
PowerBook G4 1,5Ghz (Much faster) 12" 1399$ Education Discount
512Mb - 60GB 5400RPM - WLan G - BLUETOOTH 2.0 - DVI - GEFORCE 5200 GO 64MB
These computers are for different markets, true.. But the Averatec do not have more features than an iBook G4 similarly priced
www.apple.com/store
@AFD
No Apple do not owns the color white.. But for sure you could make a white notebook that doesn't screams "I'm an iBook clone from Averatec, Buy Me!"..
You can't negate that the look of this machine is nearly identical to the iBook..
Sorry for my bad english.. I'm spanish
Poweruser be careful. There are no restore CD's and it Averatec will not give a restore CD out. What happens if the computer crashes after the warranty.. Touch luck....
Aside from that. You can reinstall Windows XP Pro (OEM) using the key on the lap. The drivers are in the Averatec folder on the hard drive.
Linux seems to work without a problem for dual boot.
The wireless is WEP and WPA
Good and bad....
I bought one today. The screen is great...I use to own the T250...this screen is equal in quality, yet this computer is much sexier with the red paint and the white keyboard/monitor with silver on the bottom. Amazing price, I got the 1.1ghz ulv 2mb cache centrino with 10.6" WXGA monitor, 80 gig hard drive with dvd/cdrw, b and g wireless lan and a computer that looks better than all the others out there for half the price. I got it for $1149 with a 150 bucks of rebates...$999. A great deal, oh and the speakers sound better than the T series as they aren't underneath the computer like the T series. And at half the price...I can't imagine paying $2299 for the T250 again with a dvd-rw and 1.2ghz and bluetooth...not much difference. This one looks hot!
Oh, and XP Pro, too! This is my first averatec...I have never liked averatec, but this one is a milestone for this company. I would have negative comments about this if I hadnt seen it in person, but seeing is believing...go look at it, then come back and post about it. I imagine you might change. The main negative aspect of this is that it gets 4 to 5 hours battery life where the sony gets 5 solid hours up to 5 3/4. And it seems upgrading the ram beyond 512mb could be a chore, if it is even possible. Why you would need more than 512 on an small laptop with a Ultra Low Voltage processor is beyond me...but I guess some people need more ram. I require over a gig of ram on my desktop and if I did the same stuff on my laptop then I would never buy a small computer with a ULV processor...I would get the high voltage centrino or something faster...then get more ram. I think if most people installed some freeware to see how much ram they are actually using then they'd be surprised. For $999 to $1199...the prices they are selling at...why pay double for a sony T...I don't need 1 gig of ram, nor do I need a dvd burner.
Where can you get this one for 1150?
My $1000.00 Loss is a kick to the gut. My Averayec was only 6 weeks old when it began failing to boot up most of the time. When it woul only a frozen screen reffering to a graphics control/ chipset issue. They promised a seven day turnaround but three weeks later still could not even tell me the diagnosis, status,ETA, or even where the computer was. I recieved my machine with the same problem immediatly occurring as well as problems that I never had before I sent it in. I either have to pay shipping to send it back again, or stay home from work to send it back free of charge from fedex. They said they replaced the hard drive and memory module (sounds like shotgun diagnosis) I cant stay in business without my laptop so I bought a Vaio and hope to sell this piece of junk for whatever I can recover.
This computer exactly what you expect from a 1000 dollar, lightweight, 10 notebook. It is all there what you need for travel or going places where you dont want to go with backpack full of system, yet you want to be connected with your email, the net, store your digital pictures, or even listen you music. The screen actually very good, tiny but bright and sharp. It loaded with all the connectivity plugs, have pretty good CD/DVD player, good size of hard drive and enough memory. Do you want a better system? Get ready to pay twice the price of this one. For me this will do just fine and if you look around there is not many competition out there for around a grand. Ummperhaps none.
I'm going to purchase one soon, do you think I will be able to run counter strike 1.6 on this laptop? I probably can, All the system requirments meet the standards
I just purchased a AV1020ED1 with a 60GB Hard Drive, this is the only AV1020ED1 the store had even though I wanted one with a 80GB Hard Drive. Can I upgrade my AV1020ED1 to a 80GB Hard Drive and what do I have to do to open the case to get to the Hard Drive
I just purchased a AV1020-ED1 Averatec Laptop however it only has a 60GB hard drive. I would like to upgrade this to a 80GB hard drive. Does someone know how to open the case on the AV1020 and if so, please let me know.