Averatec AV1050-EU1

The 3.6-pound Averatec AV1050-EU1 is ideal for users looking for the lightest possible system with a built-in DVD/CD drive and that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The 10.6-inch screen will be too small for some, but this $1,299 mini Centrino machine offers good performance, strong battery life, and a stylish package.

The AV1050 will certainly turn heads, whether it’s around campus or at a neighborhood hotspot. Its white shell bears a strong resemblance to Apple’s iBook, and the burgundy lid adds a touch of class. The body itself is as slim as can be, measuring only 10.5 x 8 x 1.2 inches.

The keyboard feels cramped, even for an ultraportable notebook. The touchpad is smooth and white, and the lip between it and the non-touchpad area is barely perceptible. The two scroll bars on the touchpad will make navigation of longer Web pages or spreadsheets easier.

A dedicated Media Launch button above the keyboard is set to open Windows Media Player. If you prefer another application, you can reassign the button by making your new choice the default player. The left-hand side of the notebook features the Ethernet and modem jacks, along with a FireWire port, all of which are hidden behind a plastic door.

The PC Card slot is located directly above where the optical drive ejects, which could block access to your drive depending on what card you have inserted. On the plus side, Averatec includes an On/Off switch for the Wi-Fi connection and a 4-in-1 memory card reader to quickly transfer pictures from your digital camera.

The 10.6-inch widescreen display is tiny, but clear and crisp thanks to Averatec’s AveraBrite LCD technology. It would be difficult to sit through an entire movie if the screen were not as bright as it is. Spider-Man 2 looked great on the glossy display, but you won’t be watching a flick with several friends. Coupled with weak audio, the overall mobile movie experience was passable at best. When you’re back at your desk, the VGA port and two USB ports can connect an external monitor, mouse, and full-sized keyboard.

On the performance front, the AV1050 handled our suite of productivity tasks nicely, and the 158 MobileMark performance rating is above average for ultraportables. Multitasking posed no problems at all. Running several applications didn’t produce any noticeable hiccups, and programs opened quickly no matter what was already happening in the background.

For an ultraportable, Averatec has included a generous 80GB of hard drive space. The inclusion of a FireWire port without including a DVD burner, however, struck us as a waste of digital video editing potential.

Casual gaming with the latest titles is out of the question, even at the lowest possible resolution; the AV1050’s integrated graphics couldn’t handle Far Cry at all. It’s no shock that 3DMark03 couldn’t run all of its tests, and 3DMark2001 gave it a paltry score of 2,299.

Battery life was strong overall. The standard runtime of 3 hours and 22 minutes dropped by only six minutes with the Wi-Fi connection switched on. The wireless service performed well. The 802.11b/g radio notched a decent data rate of 15.9 Mbps at 5 feet from our access point, and decreased to a still-respectable 7.1 Mbps from 50 feet away.

The AV1050 comes preinstalled with a small, yet productive group of applications, including Microsoft Works, CyberLink DVD, and a copy of Norton AntiVirus 2005. Averatec includes a standard one-year warranty, with parts and labor and 24/7 toll-free tech support.

Averatec’s AV1050-EU1 is a well-designed ultraportable that offers the basics at a great price. You get the portability you’d expect, a stylish look, and good battery life. We think the Averatec 4200, which offers the same cool design and a larger 13.3-inch display has more mainstream appeal. However, if you need to travel with the lightest load, the AV1050 is a good bargain.