Averatec's 10.6-inch AV1150 ultra-portable notebook

Averatec has just released the first member of its new 1100 series of ultra-portable notebooks, the AV1150-EW1, which sports the same low voltage Pentium M chip that we saw last year in the company's 1000 series, but improves on several other key specs. The most notable difference between the two series is the inclusion of a DVD burner on the new model, although doubling the RAM from 512MB to 1GB is certainly a much appreciated bump as well. All the rest of the features -- 80GB HDD, integrated graphics, WXGA display, and 802.11b/g -- remain the same, and yet Averatec has still managed to shave off a few ounces to help the 1150 weigh in at just 3.4 pounds. Available immediately online or in select stores, we found this model selling for a wallet-friendly $1,300, which is a bit less than the AV1050 commanded at its debut.

[Via The Gadgets Weblog]

[weatherman @ Jun 15th 2006 1:43PM]

Pretty good specs and a nice price, but 10" screen is just too small, especially when it's widescreen. That's screen would be just 5" high and 6.5" wide!

[David @ Jun 15th 2006 1:59PM]

I think you'll be waiting for quite a while, #1, if you want a reasonably portable Blu-ray notebook. In fact, the only ones I've seen so far are large DT models. Not to mention the $20 or so you'll pay for each BD-R; you're much better off with a nice portable external HDD.

With regards to the Averatec, most of the hardware is nice but I think the lack of Core Duo is bad for those looking for something at least a little future-proof. Still, at least it's small....

[diulei @ Jun 15th 2006 2:13PM]

Ultra-portables are nice for those who carry laptops around all the time - but have you ever tried typing on those? The keys are practically as small as the keys on my cellphone...I always end up pushing more than one button.

[Craig Hughes @ Jun 15th 2006 2:15PM]

I don't know where you got your measurements from number 2, but a 5" by 6.5" screen would give a screen size of 8.2", not 10.6". Working on a 16:9 ratio, the screen would be 5.2" by 9.25". Still a small screen, but it's the largest the laptop can accomodate, which is kind of the point of an ultraportable - to be small.

If you want to check the measurements yourself, learn pythag.

[frank d @ Jun 15th 2006 2:17PM]

It is small, which is tempting.

But it is Averatec, and I don't think we'll ever buy Averatec again, unless I see serious acknowledgement of technical support that works. We had to jump through 3 RMAs and many delays with one of our systems, only to each time get our notebook back with the same and in some cases additional problems. They only ship ground. They mail to the wrong address. They fixed the DVD drive, only to have it fall out of the machine ...

And, their dead pixel policy is "two dead pixels side by side".

It took six long months of troubleshooting and 4 RMAs before we were offered an exchange (refurbished machine) or 2/3 of our money back.

[Joe C. @ Jun 15th 2006 2:37PM]

David; here is a link to the AR Vaio with Blu-Ray its a 17" model though not a light weight.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=VGNAR190G&Dept=computers&CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_AR_Series

The Vaio TX series are still lighter and have a larger screen. I don't know if the build quality of the Averatec would in the same ball park as the TX though. It has an attractive price point for what its offering which is hard to beat. Wonder how the screen looks, Xbrite LCDs are hard to beat that alone makes spending a little more cash worth it.

[Mike @ Jun 15th 2006 2:38PM]

I saw one of these at Circuit City a couple weeks ago and came away impressed. Sure it's a tad thicker than I would like, but the fonts were very legible given the small screen size.

If you don't mind having a laptop that's thinner, though taller and wider, the 13" MacBook is a better value.

[Mike Johnson @ Jun 15th 2006 2:48PM]

'Not to mention the $20 or so you'll pay for each BD-R; you're much better off with a nice portable external HDD."

I see your point, but sometimes it's a matter of convenience over price. $20 doesn't seem bad for 25GB of storage. Unlike single and double-layer DVDs, I can't put my entire OS, or my entire music collection on one disc. To me, I'd rather spend $20 on one 25GB disc than send $1 to do the same thing by splitting up on 5 discs.

[Pi @ Jun 15th 2006 3:03PM]

A while ago, I had a Sony Vaio (and when I say a while, I mean around 1999 or 2000) that was 10.4 in... makes $1300 look like a good price even if the specs aren't fantastic, because I paid $2200 for mine, and it only had 64MB RAM.

[weatherman @ Jun 15th 2006 3:09PM]

Craig: you're right. I did an admitedly quick calculation and somehow converted half of that figure to 16:9 and half to 4:3. I had the ~5" right, but the width of ~6.5 was for a 4:3 screen. And even those figures aren't accurate to the first decimal.

Think about it though - 5.2" high? That's tiny!

[Arthur Barnhouse @ Jun 15th 2006 4:08PM]

"Think about it though - 5.2" high? That's tiny!"


That's. The. Point. It's an "ultraportable" laptop, meaning it's light and small.

I was actually already planning on buying an Averatec 1000 series for next year, so I'm definatly going to give this a look-over.

[scott @ Jun 15th 2006 6:42PM]

I love my little 1050, i like the white stylings on that better than this...

oh, and this is the exact same thing as the 1050, only (drab) sivler stylings and a (2 dimm) 1gb ram. I upgraded my 1050 to 2 gig already, stuck in a 120gb 7200 rpm drive and the battery life stands at about 4.5 hours on it...

I love this thing... best money spent on a compy ever...

[1.21GW @ Jun 15th 2006 7:06PM]

I'm typing this on an Averatec 1020, the little brother of the 1050 and 1150. I just measured the screen - it is 5.5" by 9."

I'm a grad student and I write alot. The Averatec has gotten the job done. The display is one of the best that I've seen, and I came to this computer from a very good VAIO with a very good, but four year old, display.

I have a Samsung SyncMaster 192MP to plug into at home and, side by side, the Averatec display looks better than the Samsung's.

If the LCD on the Averatec wasn't so good, the size of the screen would make it unusable - fortunately, it's one of the best out there. Plus, it's cheap. I could never afford a $2000 ultraportable VAIO or Fijitsu. I got mine for $710 shipped.

[Karina @ Sep 22nd 2006 10:10PM]

Hello,

I am looking at buying the 1100 averatec. Can you please tell me where you purchased yours for under 750?

Thanks!

[Vincent @ Jun 17th 2006 11:56PM]

"If the LCD on the Averatec wasn't so good, the size of the screen would make it unusable - fortunately, it's one of the best out there. Plus, it's cheap. I could never afford a $2000 ultraportable VAIO or Fijitsu. I got mine for $710 shipped."

Can you please tell me where you got that laptop for $710 shipped??