The Averatec N3400 is an ultraportable notebook with a 13-inch screen, “aluminum-clad” shell, external DVD burner, and 3.8-pound body weight. Priced at $799, it’s got a lot to offer.

That price actually hovers around the relatively new category of ultra low-voltage machines, which aim to offer the long battery life and portability of netbooks with a little more power, bigger screens, and bigger keyboards.

Specs:

Averatec’s offering, however, is not a low-voltage notebook, although it might be able to get away with playing one on TV if the role called for it since it’s only an inch thick. Under the hood, there’s a full blown 35-watt dual-core Pentium T3400 CPU clocked at 2.16GHz – a far cry from the sub-10-watt CPUs found in netbooks and ultra low-voltage machines.

Other features include Windows Home Vista Premium, 3GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, external DVD burner, and a six-cell battery. The screen is 13.3 inches and has a 1280×800 resolution.

First Impressions:

You know what’s weird? I can’t quite explain it, but the notebook feels heavy even though it’s only 3.8 pounds. I weighed, weighed it, and weighed it again and every time: 3.8 pounds.

My wife carries around a 5+ pound MacBook all day and when I had her pick up the Averatec, sure enough, she remarked that it felt heavier than it looked. And she couldn’t believe it was almost two pounds lighter than her MacBook. I pulled this same trick with every subsequent guest we had over in the ensuing weeks and they all echoed the same sentiments.

I can’t figure it out. The thing just looks and feels bigger than it ought to for some reason. But, again, it is indeed 3.8 pounds.

As for the body style, the brushed aluminum outer shell looks and feels really nice. Very classy, especially for $800. Once you open the thing up, you’ve got a traditional plasticky notebook, though – much more in line with an $800 price tag. There’s a big half-inch plastic bezel around the entire screen which I feel detracts from the overall style.

Performance:

Thanks to the ample RAM and the quick processor, the N3400 hums along quite nicely. I tested it with both the included version of Windows Vista Home Premium and then did a clean install of the Windows 7 Release Candidate since the machine comes with a free upgrade to Windows 7 that you can cash in on October 22nd. Vista felt snappy, Windows 7 felt snappier.

The Windows Experience Index under Windows 7 returned the following scores:

• Processor: 5.3
• Memory: 5.3
• Graphics: 3.6
• Gaming Graphics: 4.9
• Disk Data Transfer Rate: 5.1

So, a total score of 3.6 since Windows bases the overall score on the lowest subscore. Being that all the other scores are close to or above 5, though, you’ll see some decent power.

The Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics chip only shares up to 128MB of RAM, so you’re not going to be doing any serious gaming but it works fine for casual stuff. The machine handled every single type of video file I threw at it, including HD flash video in full screen, which is notoriously fickle, and various other HD video files all the way up to 1080p resolution even though there isn’t much point in going past 720p since the screen tops out at 1280×800.

As for battery life, it’s not great. You’ll get between 2 and 3 hours depending upon what you’re doing. Whenever I’d really tax the system with a bunch of auto-refreshing web pages and multiple open programs, I wouldn’t even get two hours. So don’t buy it thinking that you’ll be able to leave the AC adapter at home all day.

The trackpad is… um… interesting. You have eight icons surrounding the outside edges which can be activated to control stuff like opening your e-mail, media playback, and various assignable hotkeys. You use the trackpad like you normally would and then when you want to use these shortcut buttons, you tap the button in the upper right-hand corner once.

The problem is that when you use the trackpad to scroll vertically by sliding your finger down the right-hand side, it’s far too easy to accidentally activate the hotkeys. So you’ll be surfing a web page and then all of a sudden all these random programs will start popping open.

Good in theory (?), not good in practice. I turned that feature off in the Control Panel.

Other than that, the trackpad works just fine. There’s a single bar for the left and right mouse buttons which may otherwise turn people off, but only the far corners push downward so I never had problems with accidental button presses.

The keyboard is pretty good, too – ample surface area, nice springy keys, good layout. Nothing extraordinary but it certainly didn’t get in the way. I was able to type up a bunch of posts and e-mails without any problems whatsoever.

I ran into a really annoying problem with the Intel 5100AGN wireless card installed in this laptop: it’d just disconnect randomly from my wireless network. I searched around and noticed that a fair number of people were experiencing the same issues but I was able to get everything working correctly by using the actual Intel drivers instead of the drivers being used by Windows. I had the same problems in Vista and Windows 7, both of which were fixed by using the actual Intel software.

As for the screen, it’s decent though unspectacular. The 1280×800 resolution makes everything look nice and big and the screen gets relatively bright without washing out. It’s just like the rest of the machine – everything’s “pretty good” but not necessarily awesome. That’s actually a compliment considering that it costs $800 and is only an inch thick. There aren’t nearly as many compromises as you’d expect – the battery life is really the only big one.

Conclusion:

The Averatec N3400 is a solid machine at a decent price. It looks nicer on the outside than most other $800 laptops and the 3.8-pound travel weight makes it easy to tote around (even if it mysteriously feels heavier than that somehow). Battery life leaves a bit to be desired, but what it lacks in longevity it makes up for in processing power.

All in all, not bad for $800 especially if you’re looking for something to potentially use as a primary computer but that won’t weigh you down when you’re on the go.

Averatec N3400 [ShopAveratec.com]

Averatec is testing the aluminum notebook waters with the 13.3-inch N3400, a 3.8-pound ultraportable with a $799 pricetag.

Under the hood, there’s a dual-core Intel CPU at 2.16GHz, 3GB of RAM, 250GB SATA hard drive, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, Intel GMA X4500HD graphics, 1.3-megapixel webcam, and Vista Home Premium. There’s no integrated optical drive but the unit does come with an external DVD burner. You’ll also find three USB ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, and VGA output.

The N3400 is apparently “currently shipping” although I’m unable to find it in Averatec’s online store at the moment. Perhaps it’ll show up there soon.

Here’s the full press release:

Averatec Introduces Sleek, Aluminum 13-Inch Notebook

Stylish Design is Lightest of Averatec Notebook Offerings

SANTA ANA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TriGem USA continues to expand its mobile computing line with the addition of the lightweight, aluminum-clad 13-inch N3400 notebook. Weighing less than 4 pounds, the ultra-slim, stylish notebook can be easily carried in a briefcase or backpack. The unit is currently shipping and offered at an MSRP of $799.

The Averatec N3400 is designed to maximize performance and is positioned to meet the needs of a wide range of highly mobile users. Business professionals, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, sales people and students will appreciate the feature-rich N3400 options that are designed to enhance productivity at the office, on the road or in the classroom.

“As one of the thinnest and lightest notebooks on the market, the N3400 meets the demand of consumers who require the ultimate in portability and a little flash of style without breaking the bank,” said Henry Hewitt, vice president of sales at TriGem USA. “Although it is small in size and weight, the N3400 is large in power and performance. This notebook is sure to stand out from the crowd with its low weight, small footprint and affordable price point.”

The sleek, ultra-modern-looking N3400 features a 2.16GHz Intel dual-core processor, 250GB hard drive, 3GB of memory, Microsoft Vista Home Premium and an external USB 8x super-multi DVD optical drive. Other performance-maximizing features include built-in 802.11n wireless connectivity, 10/100/1000 Mb/s wired networking and Bluetooth.

“Averatec was determined not to skimp on performance features in the design of the N3400,” Hewitt said. “While competitors may have compromised on features such as omitting optical drives or Bluetooth connectivity, Averatec found a way to incorporate these critical technologies without sacrificing the overall performance, form factor or low weight of the system. Our customers want it all and we are determined to give that to them.”

Averatec’s products are backed by a one-year limited warranty and one-year of technical support available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.

It’s no jaw-dropper spec-wise: a Core2 Duo E5200 at 2.5GHz, 3GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. For $799 you can’t expect too much, especially considering it comes with a 22″ display and slot loading DVD-R drive. It’s got wireless built-in, so you can just plug it in and you’re good to go.

Honestly, for a quick-access PC in the living room or whatever, this would probably be a great choice. Nobody will ever tell you it’s ugly, and it’ll do anything you need to to do besides play games. I question its HD video capability, but it’s hard to say one way or the other.

In a move to offer inexpensive all-in-one computers to consumers, many companies are fitting Intel’s Atom processors into small form factor PCs and selling them for around $500 to $600. Averatec has adopted a similar approach with the D1133 but has instead bumped the CPU up to a dual-core 1.5GHz AMD chip along with ATI Radeon 3200 graphics and then priced the system to move at $599.

That extra CPU speed, satisfactory graphics chipset, and 2GB of RAM turn the D1133 from a netbook-on-your-desk into a decently-equipped home PC that can be used for more than just simple web surfing — all at a very nice price.

Features and Specs

• AMD Athlon X2 3250e CPU at 1.5GHz
• ATI Radeon 3200 graphics with 512MB built-in memory plus 512MB shared system RAM
• 2GB RAM (512MB shared with graphics card)
• 250GB SATA hard drive (5400RPM)
• 18.4-inch widescreen LCD at 1680×945 resolution
• DVD burner, Wi-Fi, built-in 1.3-megapixel web cam
• Four USB ports, headphone/microphone ports, DVI out, 4-in-1 memory card reader
• Weighs nine pounds, tilting LCD screen, entire unit is wall-mountable
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• MSRP of $599

Aesthetics

The D1133 is a nice-looking piece of equipment. When I first took it out of the box, it felt like a $1000+ machine. The screen is attached to the base by a shiny, adjustable neck and the plastic surrounding everything provides a smooth, reflective, elegant touch. The entire setup definitely looks like it’s worth more than $599.

The major detraction from the overall design is the use of a wired USB mouse and keyboard. They’re both colored to match the design of the computer but the plastics used are non-reflective and kind of cheap-feeling. They also result in a couple of cords coming out of the back of the machine, which makes everything look somewhat less appealing. The power cord can be pretty easily hidden but the keyboard and mouse cables can not.

This move was no doubt done in the interest of saving money, though, as a Bluetooth chip along with a wireless mouse and keyboard would have added perhaps an extra $50 to $100 to the bottom line.

LCD Screen

The D1133 features an 18.4-inch LCD screen with a 1680×945 resolution, which provides ample room for displaying full web pages along with a couple smaller programs or the Windows Sidebar taking up about 1/4th of the right-hand side of the desktop.

Unfortunately the screen suffers from some pretty aggressive reflections, especially when watching movies and TV shows with dark scenes. The LCD just doesn’t get bright enough to ward off reflections. Even at full brightness, you’ll still see your own reflection against darker backgrounds.

It’s not nearly as noticeable against lighter backgrounds, though, but it’s still something to consider.

Power

The D1133 certainly won’t replace your main gaming computer but it’ll run circles around any standard Atom-based machine. The Windows Experience Index score is a 3.0, dragged down by Aero performance, but I was able to watch 1080p and 720p video clips without any problems and simple gaming like an older version of Tiger Woods Golf (2006) and Sim City 3000 ran just fine.

The computer runs cool and quiet and is able to multitask quite well, even with several tabs open in Google Chrome, music playing, and TweetDeck updating constantly. Running Geekbench 2 on the machine returned a score of 1611 (full report here) which puts it in line with a PowerMac G5. So it’s not a huge beast when it comes to churning and burning, but it’s no slouch either. Vista actually ran really well, on the whole.

Other Features

The built-in web cam is decent, if unspectacular (see it in use here, that’s me in the upper right-hand corner). I was a bit disappointed that the mic doesn’t handle noise cancellation very well — I wasn’t ever able to carry out a Skype call without using a headset as people on the other end would always complain about being able to hear themselves.

The DVD Super Multi drive is a nice touch, as is the built-in card reader. And I thought the ability to wall-mount the entire computer was thoughtful, too. You basically fold the screen down against the body and there are VESA mounts on the underside of the computer. Very cool.

Note that the LCD screen can be positioned vertically but it doesn’t swivel horizontally — so up and down, yes; side to side, no.

The built-in 1.5-watt speakers are okay at low levels but actually popped and crackled at maximum volume during gaming, while listening to music, and while using Skype. So you’ll want to use headphones or hook up external speakers if you’re a stickler for volume. When set at about 50%, though, everything sounds fine (if a bit tinny).

Conclusion

If there’s a main sticking point to this machine, it’d be the reflective screen. Other than that, there aren’t any big enough problems to warrant a non-purchase. Those of you looking to use the machine in a bright, well-lit room to watch movies and TV shows may find yourselves dealing with reflections on a fairly regular basis, though.

Aside from that, the Averatec D1133 is a great option for budget-conscious shoppers looking for a nice-looking all-in-one computer. It handles just about every straightforward computing task with ease thanks to the CPU, RAM, and GPU combo while still maintaining an affordable price point.

Those looking for a second machine might find the D1133 to fit the bill as well. It’s powerful enough to handle most of what you’d do on your main computer and doesn’t take up much space at all. I used it far more often than I thought I would and enjoyed the experience as it proved to be a more-than-capable machine for checking RSS feeds and websites, playing games, and typing up posts while my main computer was busy doing stuff like rendering video.

Averatec D1133AH1-E1 [ShopAveratec.com]

The 18.4-inch D1100 from Averatec showed up at my house recently and I thought, hey, lazy Saturday — let’s set it up. I had forgotten the specs, the price, and all the relevant details but when I had gotten everything together (a process which took less than ten minutes) I can tell you that I’m impressed by how nice the computer looks.

Especially since — surprise! — it only costs $599.

The body is a nice, shiny black color, with the 18.4-inch screen resting on a chrome neck that adjusts up and down in order to reach a comfortable viewing angle. The LCD panel can be laid flat and pushed down to rest atop the machine’s body should you need to move the computer to another room.

Unfortunately, the screen doesn’t swivel from side to side — just up and down. And the wired mouse and keyboard kind of detract from the whole all-in-one idea. They just kind of look out of place with their cords running to the back of the machine. Again, though, this thing barely costs as much as a high-end netbook.

Internally, you’ve got a 64-bit AMD dual-core 3250e CPU, 250GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, DVD burner, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, built-in 1.3-megapixel camera and, of course, the 18.4-inch screen, which features a native resolution of 1680×945 (so no 1080p, sorry) and is powered by an ATI Radeon HD 3200-series GPU.

The machine comes preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, which returns an Experience Index score of 3.0 — the lowest subscore being in the graphics department. Everything seems relatively snappy so far, but I haven’t really loaded anything onto the computer yet, aside from replacing IE with Google Chrome and uninstalling Norton Antivirus because it asked too many questions and wouldn’t let me close out of it without resorting to the Task Manager.

And, of course, the question on everyone’s mind: How does Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (that’s right, 06) play on it? It plays wonderfully. The graphics only top out at 1024×768, but everything looks nice and fluid. The sound from the tiny speakers is pretty tinny, though. Tin-like, that is.

Full review coming up once I put this thing through the paces. Here are some photos:

Averatec D1100 Series [ShopAveratec.com]

Averatec has just announced a gigantic all-in-one PC for $999. This one’s a doozy, folks. A doozy in a good way. The D1200 series features a 25.5-inch LCD monitor with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz CPU, 320GB hard drive, and 4GB of RAM nestled snugly behind it.

You also get a built-in ATSC/NTSC TV tuner for 1080p video and TV playback, 8X super-multi DVD burner, 2-megapixel webcam, 802.11N wireless, and gigabit Ethernet.

It comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse, plus a Media Center remote and Vista Home Premium. It’s shipping now at Averatec’s website for $999 and it’ll be available at Best Buy and Tiger Direct soon.

Averatec Online Store – D1200 Series

Full press release:

New Averatec 25.5-inch PC/TV Combo Delivers Best of Both Worlds

SANTA ANA, Calif. – (Business Wire) TriGem USA today announced the Averatec 25.5-inch D1200 all-in-one (AIO) computer, the largest AIO offering for under $1,000 available today. The new AIO plays video at true 1080p resolution and features a built-in hybrid digital/analog TV tuner, making it an ideal TV replacement. The D1200, which is offered at an MSRP of $999, is now available.

“With its sleek, contemporary AIO design and crisp LCD, the D1200 is an ideal system for power users and those looking for a computer that can function both as a PC and TV,” said Henry Hewitt, vice president of sales at TriGem USA. “The system’s affordable price point makes this innovative technology and design accessible to a broader segment of customers. The D1200 is an ideal solution for those who are ‘space challenged’ and need a PC/TV combo that fits easily in apartments, dormitories, bedrooms, kitchens and smaller homes and offices.

“With the cost of LCD televisions of comparable size ranging from $600 to $700, Averatec customers are getting a full-functioning TV with complete PC capabilities for only about $200 more. You can’t beat that.”

The multimedia capabilities of the Averatec D1200 deliver a versatile multimedia device for home or office. The hybrid TV tuner enables the AIO to view analog or digital television programming.

The new 25.5-inch Averatec D1200 AIO features a 2.5GHz Intel Pentium dual-core E5200 processor, 320GB hard drive, 4GB of memory, the 64-bit version of Microsoft Vista Home Premium and integrated wireless keyboard and mouse.

TriGem USA and its Averatec brand have a widely respected reputation for stylish designs and innovative, value-oriented products, Hewitt noted. The space-saving design of the D1200 enables it to be placed in any location where TV viewing and daily PC use is desired by a family, student or small business.

“Customers can place it on a TV stand in their bedroom enabling them to work from any location with ease using the integrated wireless keyboard and mouse, while still having the convenience of watching television,” Hewitt said.

The new all-in-one PC is optimized for handling everyday computing tasks such as Web browsing, e-mail, word processing, photo editing, home and business accounting, video editing, games and social networking. It includes an 8x super-multi DVD optical drive, built-in 2.0-megapixel webcam, WLAN wireless 802.11N compliant networking and wired gigabit 10/100/1000 Mb/s network connectivity.

The D1200 will be available for purchase at Best Buy.com, TigerDirect/CompUSA and Averatec.com.

TriGem’s products are backed by a one-year limited warranty and one-year of technical support available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

TriGem has unveiled the feature-laden Averatec N2700, a 12-inch notebook with 4GB of RAM and a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU weighing in at just over four pounds for $699.

It’s also got a 250GB SATA hard drive, DVD burner, and 1.3-megapixel webcam. Total thickness is about 1.2 inches and the machine comes preloaded with the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium. It’s nice to see some 12-inch notebooks every once in a while — seems like everything’s 13.3-inches or bigger nowadays. Unfortunately, the keyboard on the N2700 looks pretty cramped at first glance. Check out those two tiny shift keys. My pinkies get all crampy just looking at them.

TriGem’s press release says that the N2700 is available now, although there’s no sign of a way to buy it on the company’s website yet.

Averatec N2700 [TriGem]

The Averatec netbook that we caught “wind” of (pun majorly intended) back in August is now shipping. It’s called the Averatec Buddy and you’ll remember that it’s actually pretty much a rebranded MSI Wind, except that the Buddy has dropped the Bluetooth connection and popped in a 160GB hard drive.

Oh, and the 10.2-inch screen features AveraBrite! Also, Averatec lists the Buddy’s weight at 1.65 pounds with its three-cell battery, even though the 3-cell Wind weighs 2.3 pounds. I’m going to assume that Averatec’s weight is incorrect, because the site also says that it’s got a 12.1-inch WXGA screen even though the product’s title lists it as the “Averatec Buddy Notebook 10.2 in” – if they’ve got a 12.1-inch MSI Wind that only weighs 1.65 pounds, I’ll buy three of them.

Averatec Buddy [ShopAveratec.com]

Remember Averatec? I sure do. I’ve owned two Averatec computers. One when the company used to be Sotec and another when it used to be Averatec. Now it’s sort of called TriGem, but sometimes called Averatec. Something like that.

Anyhoo, Joanna Stern of Laptop Magazine spoke with Averatec’s marketing director and found out that Averatec and MSI are in cahoots. It turns out that Averatec will be selling what’s basically an MSI Wind under the Averatec brand name. The netbook will be similarly configured to the Wind except that Averatec is considering bumping the hard drive from 80GB to 160GB, dropping the Bluetooth (whaaaey?), and only offering it with a three-cell battery. Production will start in the coming weeks and we’ll likely see these things for sale in the middle of September for between $400 and $500.

Remember Averatec? T’was once Sotec and appears to now be TriGem Computer peddling PCs and notebooks under the Averatec brand name? Whatever the case may be, there’s a new all-in-one on the market for $1,199 for those of you still interested in skinny-but-sorta-powerful computers.

The Averatec All-in-One PC (as it’s called) consists of a 22-inch screen at 1680×1050 resolution, 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, Vista Home Premium, nVidia GeForce 8400 graphics, 320GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, DVD burner, 802.11 b/g wireless, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, wireless keyboard and mouse, remote control for Vista Media Center, and an optional built-in ATSC TV tuner. At $1199, it’s priced below offerings from Dell and Gateway but has a larger screen and comparable specs.

Averatec All-in-One PC [Trigem.com]

Anyway, it’s a pretty good price for what you get; an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor running at 2.2GHz, Vista Home Premium, DVD burner, 4-in-1 card reader, 250GB hard drive, 2GB RAM, and built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam. I’ve personally had good luck with Averatec notebooks (I’ve owned three) although I have a couple friends who have had trouble with the battery fizzling out rather quickly. Sure enough, the warranty on the 2575’s battery is only six months, so buyer beware (the rest of the system carries a one-year warranty, though).

Averatec’s director of marketing says, “The introduction of this product marks a new era for Averatec on our notebook product line and will provide a great foundation for our upcoming All-in-One desktop product launch.” So we’ll be on the lookout for that upcoming all-in-one. I’ll be interested to see where it’s priced.

Averatec 2575 Notebook [Averatec Store] via Forbes