On Mac Book Air

There are certain things that are constant in life: death, taxes, Bill getting the latest CPU, Steve Jobs putting on his January Apple show, and me criticizing something. Today it's the Mac Book Air intro that's got me wondering if Jobs is the best snake oil salesman ever.

Before you jump to the comments and blindly defend Apple, hear me out. I saw one look at it, and I'll agree that it has an intriguing design. However, when I saw the tech specs, I just couldn't believe what they're trying to sell for so much dough. To make my point, I'm going to compare it to my three year old notebook.

My regular readers will recall that my notebook is an Averatec 3250HX, purchased for less than $1000, back in 2005. I'll also agree that it was no barnstormer, and most computers are ready to be a doorstop after three years. Anyway, here goes.

The new MacBook Air has a Core 2 Duo processor standard, it's the ULV one, with a clock speed of 1.6 GHz. My Averatec shares the 1.6 GHz clock speed, but the single core of an Athlon XP 2200+ won't keep up with the C2D.
Winner: Apple

All right, my Averatec took a beating on the processsor, but there's more than just that. How about storage? Both notebooks feature an 80 gig hard drive with a 4200 spindle speed. The Mac is a 1.8" one, while my Averatec is a more standard 2.5". And don't even get me started on the optional 64 gig flash hard drive for a mere grand!
Winner: Tie

In the RAM department, the Mac with its 2 gigs clearly has my Averatec's 512 mb beat, and I'll give it to them. However, just recall that you can't upgrade the Mac.
Winner: Apple

Form Factor: Ok, the Apple clearly wins this one too with the "thin is in."
Winner: Apple

Optical Drive: Ok, the Apple doesn't have one, and my Averatec has a LiteOn DVDRW in it. Finally, a clear win for Averatec.
Winner: Averatec

In the ports department, I'm also disappointed in the Apple with only one USB port, and no audio connections except for a mic. I'll stop complaining about my three USB ports being crowded, and my on board audio.
Winner: Averatec

Speaking of audio, did Apple really expect us to buy into mono sound? That's so AM, 1970's that I've got to give it to the Averatec again.
Winner: Averatec

On the battery, the Apple claims five hours, and my Averatec new was under three hours, so I'll give it to the Apple. However, deduct some points for a battery that can't be replaced in the MacBook Air.
Winner: Apple

In the wireless networking, both have wireless built in. The MacBook Air features N, and my Averatec b/g so it must be better, right? Unfortunately, the N is really draft N, so don't count on it.
Winner: Tie

In the screen department, the Apple is 13+", and my Averatec is 12". I'll give to Apple, but it's hardly a bloodbath here either.
Winner: Apple

The conclusion is that the Apple Mac Book Pro is clearly a better product than my 3 year old notebook. However, for something costing twice as much, with three years of technology advancement built into it, I was expecting a bloodbath. However, it's not objectively. Unless you need the super slim lines, look elsewhere for a better deal. As for me, I'll hang on to my Averatec a while longer.

Jonas

Going, Going, Gone

Is It Really Gone?

Buying a notebook computer a few years ago was a daunting process. From someone who likes to build a computer to exacting specifications, it was difficult to find something affordable that had the right parts. When it was all said and done, I ended up purchasing an Averatec. They are kind of a no name, generic computer company that rebrand their notebook line for other companies, and also sell under their own name. They are sold discounted at retailers like Circuit City and Staples.

How did I end up with this brand, and the purchase of a 3250HX? One of the things I really liked about this brand was that there was a vibrant community around these notebooks. There was an extensive community that met in a forum, known as the Unofficial Averatec Forums. Even the Wikipedia article on Averatec mentions this busy community.

It was neat once in a while to go and check out what users were doing with their notebooks. Topics ranged from processor upgrades, to beta wireless drivers, the power trio and optical drive replacements. While my notebook has done well in the longevity department, the time I did develop an issue, I turned first to these forums, and I got good advice that facilitated a fix to the problem. Rather than run by the company, in a spirit of honesty and openness users got good advice from those more experienced.

I'm bringing this up because sometime over the summer, these forums went offline. Apparently, they are blaming a hard drive failure. It's a little hard to swallow that this entire community could run off of one hard drive. I was wondering if my next notebook purchase would be an Averatec, and without the community, the answer would likely be no.

When I was researching this article, I actually did find that the forum has been started anew. While just about all of the old content is lost, it's still nice to see that at least some of the old members have found it, and started anew. Hopefully over time, these forums will be as useful as the old were in supporting the Averatec notebooks. Also, the next time you consider which notebook brand to purchase, take into account where you will get support for it.

--Jonas

PS: I recommend to the new forum that they backup early and often to avoid the same fate!

I'm Surprised

Recently, I shared my "sizzling" issue I was having with my notebook, an Averatec 3250HX. Aside from the overheating, I've been otherwise quite pleased with the portable computer and the level of performance in a compact package that straddles the line between notebook and subnotebook at 4.3 pounds. After an email exchange with customer service, I sent the computer to Texas for a little work after the company agreed to cover the issue, even though it was out of warranty.

I was quite surprised when the DHL guy brought me a package today. Needless to say, it was my notebook, all nice and padded in the box. This seemed too quick, did they really fix anything? Paranoid as I am, I even verified the serial number as being the same, and it was. My hard drive was not reset, and came back the same as I sent it- in need of a defrag!



Cautiously, I connected it to the AC, on a ceramic tile just in case, and powered it up. Hmmm. No burning smell- that's a clear improvement. The power light stays on; before it kept going to battery power despite being plugged in. After an hour, the corner that gave the "blistering" heat was warm, but much cooler than it had ever been. In short the operation was a success.

I'm always eager to share a company's performance- good or bad. While Averatec is hardly a popular manufacturer, I will say that they did right by me and my notebook in this case. I understand that any computer is a complex product, and there may be issues down the road that no one can predict. I'm pleased that they stood behind their product, and got it going again. I would not hesitate to buy one of their products again.

--Jonas

And Then There Was One!

Too Bad I'm Actually Surprised When a Company Does the Right Thing... So Far

Last week, I shared the tale of my notebook computer and its sizzling performance. as a rarity today, after my email to the company's support site, I actually received a response the next day about the overheating power supply issue. It instructed me to call an 800 number during business hours, and provided a ticket number to track the case.

After enjoying the three day Memorial Day holiday, I got in touch with them today. I gave them the ticket number, and they asked for the model number, and serial number of my notebook. I had previously registered the notebook when I had bought it. They then informed me that the notebook would be fixed, and I would only have to pay for the shipping of it to Texas. As the computer is over two years old, and technically out of warranty anyway, this seemed quite fair, and I headed off to the UPS store with the notebook encased in bubble wrap.

At the company's suggestion, I did insure the notebook for $750. I had paid over $800 for it at the time of purchase, but who knows what it is really worth now. The cash payout would significantly ameliorate my pain should my package take a wrong turn and end up in Albuquerque. The whole process should take about three weeks to complete reportedly.

Getting back to the title of my post, I'm down to one computer. I haven't had a sole computer since 1999. Since then, there has been at least two computers, and I maxed out at six at one point. I'm starting to feel like I'm working without a safety net at this point. At least when one 'puter crashes, I can use the other one to research the problem and get it up and running. I'm keeping my fingers crossed over the next few weeks that the computer bugaboos stay away.

So far, I'm pleased that Averatec has owned up to the problem, and are being reasonable about it. If all goes well, I'll still be able to recommend them for their affordable notebooks as I have done through the years. Stay tuned, we'll let you know how this one turns out as a lot could happen between here and the Lone Star state.

--Jonas

Sizzling Performance

Us TechNudgers are always big fans of getting the most performance out of the products that they buy. By the title of this article, you're probably thinking I'm going to be talking about overclocking my Athlon X2 5200+, or the latest quad core from Intel that I already have my eye on.

Unfortunately, this time I'm talking about cooking notebook parts. About two weeks ago, I noticed that my Averatec 3250HX had a burnt smell to it. It brought back fond memories of slot car racing tracks that would smell burnt when they were powered up. This scent of "burnt de electronica" is never a good thing when a notebook is involved.

This week, I again noticed the odor. The other new symptom is that the power input does not provide a steady stream of current into the notebook, and it keeps going onto battery power while plugged in. When I touched the corner where the wire enters the notebook, I got a blister from the heat. It certainly didn't run this hot when I first got it. When I went to remove the power cable, the plastic had started to melt, and it was just about fused onto the post. Ahhh, nothing quite like the smell of cooked plastic!

After powering down, I looked online for a potential answer. At first I was thinking that with notebooks so cheap these days, even for five Franklins I can find something acceptable. However, I also realized that my current Averatec is not even two and a half years old, and still fairly respectable (and doesn't have Vista!). One of the nice "features" of owning an Averatec is that there is a great online community that love to tinker with these laptops. I noticed a sticky on the 3200 series forum entitled: Loose Power Connector - Power Problems - Hot Power Connector - Battery Won't Charge. Sounds like it hit the nail on the head!

In this thread that goes on for no less than 25 pages, they talk about how the power connector was soldered wrong, and lots of folks have issues related to the power supply. Some have resoldered it themselves, and some have gotten the company to do this for the cost of shipping. As my soldering experience is limited to junior high school, I'd rather let the pros do it. So far I've emailed them, and I've received a response that I need to call them and speak to a tech. While it is out of warranty, clearly it is defective by design, and they should have recalled it to prevent an injury.

I'll keep y'all posted as this progresses. Hopefully this will work out in my favor. If not, Celeron M here we come as if I'm buying a new notebook every other year, it becomes (yet another, gosh!) disposable item.

--Jonas