Averatec's 10.2-inch netbook just wants to be your Buddy

We knew it was coming, and now Averatec's officially unveiled the Buddy, another 10.2-inch, Atom N270-based netbook. It's not straying far from that template laid down by the Eee 1000 and Wind, but the more recent photos we've dug up seem to show that it's not a straight up Wind rebadge as previously implied -- which could be a good or bad thing, depending on Averatec's attention to detail and / or OEM partner. The laptop manages 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, Windows XP Home and WiFi for a reasonable $450, and should be hitting retail shelves and online stores soon.

[Muhammad-Oli @ Sep 19th 2008 10:18AM]

K seriously, why report this? There must have been about 56 stories on freaking netbooks on engadget today alone. They all look the same. They all do the same. How about just make a single post at the end of the day detailing how many netbooks were released and how many colours they come in... Saves me from going "AAAAAAAAAGH!"

[Kris @ Sep 19th 2008 10:37AM]

Well, to be honest, the looks of these netbooks look nicer than most of the others. IMO anyway.

[Jason Litka @ Sep 19th 2008 10:45AM]

+1 on this. I'm really tired of all the stories about new netbooks which are essentially the same product. Now, if someone crams a dual-core Atom in one of these then THAT I want to hear about. If someone sticks in a video chipset capable of H.264 decoding then THAT I want to hear about. If someone makes one that is 3/4 of an inch thick (closed) then THAT I want to hear about.

None of these netbooks are original anymore; they're just the same hardware over and over in a slightly modified case.

[d00b @ Sep 19th 2008 12:06PM]

The keyboard layout looks a lot like the ECS G10L.

[aaron @ Sep 19th 2008 10:21AM]

holy crap 160GB

[Jash Sayani @ Sep 20th 2008 1:45AM]

Nice config for a netbook, however they should have pulled the RAM to 2 Gig by default. But I guess ASUS N10 is the best netbook out there now.

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 19th 2008 10:21AM]

It's not your buddy, pal.

[Chris @ Sep 19th 2008 10:38AM]

It's not your pal, friend.

[idiot @ Sep 19th 2008 10:45AM]

it's not your friend, buddy

[mashupmark.com @ Sep 19th 2008 12:12PM]

I'm not your buddy, guy!

[plasmamonkey @ Sep 19th 2008 4:03PM]

I'm not your guy, buddy!

[schpadoinkle666 @ Oct 13th 2008 5:00PM]

I'm not your buddy, Fweind!!!

[TheAzureKnight @ Sep 19th 2008 10:40AM]

What's up everyone. This sorta has to do with the topic of netbooks but not necessarily with these laptops.

My question is in regards to the MacBook Air. I recently had the chance to play with one the other day and I have to say it was amazing. From the beautiful sleek design the battery life it was just perfect.

However I know that a while back some people were hating on it and think it's not a good laptop. My question is why? It's a whole lot slimmer than all these other notebooks I've seen on this page.

What makes it worse than these notebooks. Cuz I though the whole point of these netbooks was to get a slim very portable laptop.

[Jason Litka @ Sep 19th 2008 10:47AM]

A lot of people don't like the Air because it's slower than most notebooks (ULV processors) and because it's expensive as hell. Then again, speed isn't everything, and some people value form over function, so there's a market for everything.

[dark star @ Sep 19th 2008 10:49AM]

the MBA is a pure failure. people dont care about thin. they care about weight. at 3lbs, the MBA is heavy. 2lbs is the target, easy to carry, easy to bring anywhere.
second, at $1500, its not affordable for the average students.
third, barely any ports.
for $1500, u can get a nice toshiba r500 that has all the ports u want, at least 8 hours of battery life and about 2.7lbs....

[TheAzureKnight @ Sep 19th 2008 10:54AM]

Wow low ranked for making a simple inquiry?

I swear the people who post on this website are so judgemental. FYI I'm not some Apple fanboy. I love Windows Vista (GASP!).

But I also love some Apple products as well. Like the iPod.

I was just curious as to why the MacBook Air is seemingly hated on by people on this website. What exactly makes it so inferior to these laptops...

[TheAzureKnight @ Sep 19th 2008 10:57AM]

I'll give you the price argument but on weight I was shocked at how light it was.

And I can see your point about the ports.

I don't think the average user needs a million ports on their laptop but if Apple can correct that then they should.

All in all I hardly consider it a failure. In fact I'd buy it over any of these netbooks. When I was using it I felt that it was pretty fast.

[dark star @ Sep 19th 2008 11:04AM]

oh snap! the r500 is actually 1.7lbs with the dvd writer built in! not 2.7lbs as i thought.

what does your beloved MBA has that deserves the $1500 price, besides being thin and OSX? lol

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Sep 19th 2008 12:19PM]

The MBA doesn't compete with the netbooks out there PremierAssassin, the major thing that sets off the netbooks from the MBA is the price. Of course the MBA will have a better screen and processor speed when you can buy four netbooks for its price. No comparison.

I'd rather have a laptop with a small footprint as an ultraportable, not be crazy thin. I don't need it to fit in an envelope or slide under a door.
It could just be slightly thicker and yet have many more ports and usability and removable battery. Sony had their X505 back in 2004 which is around the same thickness as the MBA and yet has two USB ports and firewire and is also smaller in size as well.

[pretol @ Sep 19th 2008 12:46PM]

The only "feature" that Air has going for it is that it is THIN. Everything else is ok. "Thin" is not a feature I look for. It's the one size parameter that I almost don't give a shit about. A 9" inch netbook will fit into most purses, or into a small pocket of a backpack (sometimes even the pockets on cargo pants, I've done it). Air doesn't, it's simply "thin", I don't know what that's good for; it looks cool though.

Comparing netbooks to Air is not apples-to-apples though.

[ssrat_ @ Sep 19th 2008 10:21PM]

I will not say pure failure, but there many things that these notebooks have that the MBA is missing

1USB port compared to 3 on a netbook (use one for the mouse and.???)

No ethernet the netbooks have one, easy just to plug into a network instead of draining wi-fi battery

Speaking of battery, most of the netbooks have/or will have EXTRA batteries available, while the MBA
only has the one and you are not allowed to swap them, you are meant to REPLACE it, so if you are away longer than
it takes to get to an outlet you are SOL, while netbooks will have an extra you can just plug in and keep going

I LIKE the design of the MBA but it is a different class than a netbook, truthfully though if they had added more USB and an ethernet port
Then you would have a lot less bitching (the battery does mean this is not one you take wherever you want to go on vacation)

[3432 @ Sep 19th 2008 10:44AM]

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/NewsRoom/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1133&MenuID=13&LanID=0

[chop @ Sep 19th 2008 12:07PM]

yes engadget got it wrong...this isnt a wind rebadge. its the ecs g10il

[DssTrainer @ Sep 19th 2008 11:38AM]

Stop wasting our time with more also-runs!

A cutting edge, and practical Netbook needs:
- Bluetooth 2.1
- Wi-fi
- ExpressGate
- Built-in GPS
- 3-5 hour battery
- 2.2lbs max.
- 80GB HDD or SSD (really shouldn't need more than that for a netbook)
- D-pad and 4 buttons on the sides of the bezel. Like the Kojinsha's. That would make it a nice big emulator for MAME/NES/GEN/etc. Would put GP2X & Pandora out of business.
- Complete flip around ability. But not necessarily a touch screen. Just to be angled for gameplay or GPS usage on a dashboard.
- 1024x800 (x600 is ok, but really x800 is needed)
- 8.9" -10.1" screen ranges
- 1G Ram
- 1.6Ghz Atom Proc
- WinXP or Linux
- $400 - $500 price (depending on OS & HDD)

What we don't want:
- Built-In HSDPA or EVDO. We can use usb dongles for that. There are just too many different providers to pick just one.

If someone would please make that, we actually might have the first practical netbook!

[Rick @ Sep 19th 2008 11:56AM]

People in Hell want Popsicles and ice water.

[Fanfoot @ Sep 19th 2008 1:04PM]

Sorry, wrong. A netbook that is going to sell for more than $399 needs:

A 10" display with virtually no bezel around it using LED backlighting
To be less than 1" thick.
802.11n wireless, installed in a mini PCIe card slot
An empty PCIe card slot for WWAN card
SLC SSD of at least 16GB, installed in a PCIe card slot so it is upgradable. At least 70mm long so you can use the cards that are compatible with the ASUS 901.
1GB of RAM, upgradable to 4GB
Easy access to all slots
A single core 1.6GHz Atom processor
A 4 cell battery that doesn't stick out much from the unit. A little ridge on the bottom if absolutely required.
3-5 hours of battery life
A keyboard that extends from one side of the base to the other with virtually no wasted space on either side.
A full size right shift key. Just push the cursor pad down a row.
A trackpad with multi-touch gestures, in particular scrolling support, and optional tap to click
Trackpad buttons below the trackpad, raised slightly, and easily pushed.
A trackpoint nipple
Three USB 2.0 full power ports
Bluetooth
Windows XP or Ubuntu Gnome installed
Available in some color, like red or blue.
A display with some kind of antireflective treatment
Decent speakers, so two people can watch a movie and hear what is going on
An HDMI out port.
Two headphone jacks
Heat should be tolerable on your lap and hour hands while typing
A non-glossy case design. Maybe some texture, or maybe just not plastic at all.
A great neoprene case.
A SMALL wall wart power supply.

[Organic_Shadow @ Sep 19th 2008 12:16PM]

What really bothers me is Engadget actually putting in their comment that they think the prices of these netbooks are 'reasonable' and 'affordable'.

$450? About $50 shy of a REAL LAPTOP. *gasp*

[Major4Play @ Sep 19th 2008 12:41PM]

Nope not a Wind rebadge just an ECS rebadge.

[m-p{3} @ Sep 19th 2008 12:44PM]

IMO, here should be the basic requirements for a netbook
WiFi
Bluetooth
ExpressPort
Screen size of at least or equal to 10"
RAM of at least or equal to 1GB
HDD of at least or equal to 80GB
Atom CPU
No more than 2.2 lbs
Under $500
Choice between Windows XP Home or Linux from the supplier

[Eric @ Sep 19th 2008 12:56PM]

From the read link...

"Based in Orange County, California, Trigem USA, Inc.
(http://www.trigemusa.com) is a leading provider of innovative electronic
products and is dedicated to delivering the highest quality products backed
by superior service."


Talk about stretching the truth there, they are not a provider of "innovative" electronic products, let alone a leading provider, just another computer company. Also last time I checked their products are far from the highest quality, and their customer service is some of the worst in the industry.

[patrick @ Sep 19th 2008 12:59PM]

I'll buy but not till they cost $100 less than a 14.1 notebook w/optical drive.

[charlie @ Nov 30th 2008 10:40AM]

Samsung NC-10 is the way to go.