Averatec outs light as air 10-inch netbook, can move move move any mountain
By Laura June 
posted March 2nd 2010 10:38PM
posted March 2nd 2010 10:38PM
Averatec's just outed its super thin, super light, 10-inch netbook, the N1200. Available in silver or black, it's a good looking little package which weighs in at just 2.2 pounds. It boasts an Atom N450 CPU, a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM which is expandable up to 2GB, plus a webcam and 802.11n Wi-Fi. You can get this bad little dude with either XP or Windows 7 Starter. The battery life is apparently about 3 hours, though you can upgrade to a better, 6 hour battery. The N1200 starts at $330. The full press release is after the break.
Averatec Introduces Thinnest, Lightest 10-inch Netbook on the Market
Extended Battery Models Offer Up to Six Hours Battery Life
SANTA ANA, Calif., March 2, 2010 - TriGem USA today announced the Averatec N1200 Series netbook, the thinnest, lightest 10.1-inch netbook on the market today. The netbook weighs in at 2.2 pounds, measures less than one-inch thick, and offers up to six hours of battery life with the extended battery model. The N1200 will be offered in different models to match a customer's computing needs and budget requirements, with prices ranging from $329 to $379.
Three models will be offered and feature various configurations based on either the Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter operating systems. Extended battery models will also be available to increase battery performance from three to six hours.
To achieve this design, the engineering team at TriGem incorporated materials and components typically found on more expensive ultra-slim notebooks. Cutting-edge technologies such as ultra-slim LED LCDs along with super-slim 7mm hard drives are some of the key components which enable the N1200 Series netbook to be less than one-inch thick. Magnesium-alloy casing and the use of lithium polymer battery cells help to keep the weight down to 2.2 pounds, making it the lightest in its class.
"To build a leading-class netbook, you need to think about how it should be built," said Bob Davidson, TriGem USA senior vice president. "The lines between low-cost netbooks and ultra-portable notebooks are becoming blurred and consumers are no longer satisfied with mere compact clamshell-shaped netbooks. They want all the premium styling and features found in ultra-portable notebooks but at much more affordable prices."
The new Averatec N1200 Series netbook features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and operating system options for either Microsoft Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter. For videoconferencing and video Web chat, the netbook includes a 1.3-megapixel webcam. Storage options include 160GB and 250GB hard drives and the N1200 comes standard with 1GB DDR2 memory which is expandable to 2GB of total system memory.
The Averatec N1200 Series netbook is available for purchase this month at retail partners such as BestBuy.com, TigerDirect.com and OfficeMax.com.
TriGem's products are backed by a one-year limited warranty and one-year of U.S.-based technical support available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
NOTE TO EDITORS: High-resolution 300dpi photos of the Averatec N1200 Series netbook are available for download at the following links:
Specifications – N1200 Series
MODEL NAME: N1231EA1E-1S (Silver) / N1231EA1E-1B (Bronze)
Battery (hrs): Up to 3hrs
Screen Size: 10.1" Wide LED LCD (16:9) (1024 x 600)
Processor: ATOM N450 (1.66GHz)
Chipset: Intel NM10
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 160GB HDD
Optical: N/A
WLAN: 802.11N
LAN: 10/100 LAN
Bluetooth: None
Video Solution: Intel Integrated
Webcam: 1.3 megapixel
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Audio: High Def. Audio
Weight/Dimensions:2.2lbs/10.7"x6.5"x.9"(without the feet)
MSRP: $329.99
MODEL NAME: N1231EE1E-1 (Silver)
Battery (hrs): Up to 3hrs
Screen Size: 10.1" Wide LED LCD (16:9) (1024 x 600)
Processor: ATOM N450 (1.66GHz)
Chipset: Intel NM10
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 160GB HDD
Optical: N/A
WLAN: 802.11N
LAN: 10/100 LAN
Bluetooth: None
Video Solution: Intel Integrated
Webcam: 1.3 megapixel
Operating System: Windows 7 Starter
Audio: High Def. Audio
Weight/Dimensions: 2.2lbs/10.7"x6.5"x.9"(without the feet)
MSRP: $349.99
MODEL NAME: N1231FE1E-1S (Silver) / N1231FE1E-1 (Bronze)
Battery (hrs): Up to 6hrs
Screen Size: 10.1" Wide LED LCD (16:9) (1024 x 600)
Processor: ATOM N450 (1.66GHz)
Chipset: Intel NM10
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 250GB HDD
Optical: N/A
WLAN: 802.11N
LAN: 10/100 LAN
Bluetooth: Bluetooth
Video Solution: Intel Integrated
Webcam: 1.3 megapixel
Operating System: Windows 7 Starter
Audio: High Def. Audio
Weight/Dimensions: 2.46lbs/10.7"x6.5"x.1.0" (without the feet)
MSRP: $379.99
Extended Battery Models Offer Up to Six Hours Battery Life
SANTA ANA, Calif., March 2, 2010 - TriGem USA today announced the Averatec N1200 Series netbook, the thinnest, lightest 10.1-inch netbook on the market today. The netbook weighs in at 2.2 pounds, measures less than one-inch thick, and offers up to six hours of battery life with the extended battery model. The N1200 will be offered in different models to match a customer's computing needs and budget requirements, with prices ranging from $329 to $379.
Three models will be offered and feature various configurations based on either the Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter operating systems. Extended battery models will also be available to increase battery performance from three to six hours.
To achieve this design, the engineering team at TriGem incorporated materials and components typically found on more expensive ultra-slim notebooks. Cutting-edge technologies such as ultra-slim LED LCDs along with super-slim 7mm hard drives are some of the key components which enable the N1200 Series netbook to be less than one-inch thick. Magnesium-alloy casing and the use of lithium polymer battery cells help to keep the weight down to 2.2 pounds, making it the lightest in its class.
"To build a leading-class netbook, you need to think about how it should be built," said Bob Davidson, TriGem USA senior vice president. "The lines between low-cost netbooks and ultra-portable notebooks are becoming blurred and consumers are no longer satisfied with mere compact clamshell-shaped netbooks. They want all the premium styling and features found in ultra-portable notebooks but at much more affordable prices."
The new Averatec N1200 Series netbook features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and operating system options for either Microsoft Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter. For videoconferencing and video Web chat, the netbook includes a 1.3-megapixel webcam. Storage options include 160GB and 250GB hard drives and the N1200 comes standard with 1GB DDR2 memory which is expandable to 2GB of total system memory.
The Averatec N1200 Series netbook is available for purchase this month at retail partners such as BestBuy.com, TigerDirect.com and OfficeMax.com.
TriGem's products are backed by a one-year limited warranty and one-year of U.S.-based technical support available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
NOTE TO EDITORS: High-resolution 300dpi photos of the Averatec N1200 Series netbook are available for download at the following links:
Specifications – N1200 Series
MODEL NAME: N1231EA1E-1S (Silver) / N1231EA1E-1B (Bronze)
Battery (hrs): Up to 3hrs
Screen Size: 10.1" Wide LED LCD (16:9) (1024 x 600)
Processor: ATOM N450 (1.66GHz)
Chipset: Intel NM10
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 160GB HDD
Optical: N/A
WLAN: 802.11N
LAN: 10/100 LAN
Bluetooth: None
Video Solution: Intel Integrated
Webcam: 1.3 megapixel
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Audio: High Def. Audio
Weight/Dimensions:2.2lbs/10.7"x6.5"x.9"(without the feet)
MSRP: $329.99
MODEL NAME: N1231EE1E-1 (Silver)
Battery (hrs): Up to 3hrs
Screen Size: 10.1" Wide LED LCD (16:9) (1024 x 600)
Processor: ATOM N450 (1.66GHz)
Chipset: Intel NM10
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 160GB HDD
Optical: N/A
WLAN: 802.11N
LAN: 10/100 LAN
Bluetooth: None
Video Solution: Intel Integrated
Webcam: 1.3 megapixel
Operating System: Windows 7 Starter
Audio: High Def. Audio
Weight/Dimensions: 2.2lbs/10.7"x6.5"x.9"(without the feet)
MSRP: $349.99
MODEL NAME: N1231FE1E-1S (Silver) / N1231FE1E-1 (Bronze)
Battery (hrs): Up to 6hrs
Screen Size: 10.1" Wide LED LCD (16:9) (1024 x 600)
Processor: ATOM N450 (1.66GHz)
Chipset: Intel NM10
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 250GB HDD
Optical: N/A
WLAN: 802.11N
LAN: 10/100 LAN
Bluetooth: Bluetooth
Video Solution: Intel Integrated
Webcam: 1.3 megapixel
Operating System: Windows 7 Starter
Audio: High Def. Audio
Weight/Dimensions: 2.46lbs/10.7"x6.5"x.1.0" (without the feet)
MSRP: $379.99
The keyboard is off center. I don't think I could buy it and live with that.
@aeth true. i dont think its a very consumer cautious thing for them to do, release the keyboard of center and all. After all this is a 2.2 pounder which puts it in the runningin the lightest netbooks on the market right now. which being lighter than the apple air, is very light for the market right now. putting a keyboard off to the left is not so good. id bet they re release it in a slimmer looking casing and move the keyboard to the center, add a bit more ram and ssd and they have a hit. this unfortunately screams miss to me
@aeth
It wouldn't be a bad looking laptop at full size, but yeah I might go crazy and paranoid having the keyboard so slightly off center.
+1 because it's the first thing that struck me.
Just ... too ... odd.
But really the more impractical thing is the off-center webcam.
@bebop I'd just keep wondering what on earth prevented them from making the keys bigger or better-spaced by using the whole available space. Shrinking the keyboard just because netbooks are "supposed" to have cramped keyboards can't have been the reason. Can't have been aesthetics either (or it was a failed form-over-function move), so what got in the way?
We can do better than that for $330.
how is 2.2lb light as air?
@htd
For the battery life, it's not that impressive.
@htd I think the Apple Air is 3lbs and is relatively very light.
@htd
It's as light as 2.2 lbs of air.
@htd What is heavier, 2.2lb of air or lead?
@patsy
A duck!
@HawtDawg
Love the Monty Python reference!
@chispito
I agree! How is it they figure 3 hours? Really, its 45 minutes. Lap and Netbook marketers always give numbers that are totally unrealistic. Assuming you have the dimmest display setting and aren't doing anything they come up with 3 hours... and even these are 'special' conditions. Even 'reputable' companies (DELL, Apple, etc.) My MBP claims '8 hours' but its more like 5 or 6 if you are doing anything.
Not bad, but why wouldn't it ship w/ an SSD? Odd w/ the non-centered keyboard.
Also, probably not that much quicker feeling than the old 2.2lb 1.07" thick Dell Mini 9s w/ 16GB SSDs from "back in the day".
Whoopty-Doo.
My initial thought was that this sounds like a nice package but from the few initial posts it seems like it's not?
If so what's the best netbook out there then that's around this price range?
@TheRogueFFAngel Engadget posts so much technology I think that they need to do comparisons once in a while between laptops, netbooks, media players, etc.
@donv69 They do the reviews, but it seems to me with all the recaps they like to just post an article with "ask engadget" in the title and then just let the commentators do the talking for them. But I do agree and want to see that. I think also an easy to compare spec sheet for device categories (e.g. smartphones, andriod smartphones, netbooks, etc.) would be just gravy.
@juanvaldez
Yeah, that would be a great thing. All the high-end smartphones are making my head spin when I try to make a decision which to get...
Too bad it won't move move move any inventory.,,
'cause we're The Shaman, and we keep comin' on!
@popoption
spelled correctly, that would be "The Shamen" ;)
Love the track and all (I have the re-release, '96 or something... on CASSETTE). But what does it have to do with the article? I don't see a USB-powered 'water from a fountain' pump attachment.
It looks quite nice, but basically, still a case of dull netbook is dull.
@(Unverified) The title of the article man! It's a different Shamen track from the one I quoted though....
http://www.lyricstime.com/the-shamen-move-any-mountain-lyrics.html
I thought 2.2 pounds is about average for a netbook with just a 3 cell battery
There are already so many netbooks...
Bring on some smartbooks please. Tegra 2 based perhaps, seems to play Unreal engine pretty well.
I understand the comparisons between this and the MacBook Air since 'air' is in the headline, but let's try to refrain from comparing this to the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is, after all, a full-fledged (though somewhat weak) laptop and not a netbook.
Yes, the off-center keyboard is a design no-no. The side-mounted webcam (also on the left) is troubling. Add that with so-so typical netbook specs and this looks like another fail. Nice try Averatec. And I've been tired of glossy plastic since 2007. Enough is enough.
@macbland They can be compared, but it isn't very endearing to the less portable but larger screened MB Air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7hc6qZ_PGI
Can it get more boring than this? And not even SSD?
Or, get the Eee PC 1018, which is 0.76" thin, has a 14 hr battery life, and an aluminum chassis...
@demonicpascal
exactly. ASUS FTW
what's so special about this netbook???
it's the same as the thousands of underpowered piece of crap netbooks already out there...
bezelicious asymmetrical FAILbook, next!
Nice try but you can get a higher name brand for cheaper than this.
One thing's for sure... This thing will not fail or falter, it shall succeed...