N270 1GB 160GB 10.2IN W WXGA

by Averatec

Product Details

• Item Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6.3 pounds
• ASIN: B001ILVMBQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,026 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 2, 2008

Product Description

N270 1GB 160GB 10.2IN W WXGA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent little machine for a great price!, February 8, 2009

By 

Kristi Myers (York, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: N270 1GB 160GB 10.2IN W WXGA (Personal Computers)

I discovered the Averatec Buddy by accident, when visiting Circuit City for the new HP Mini last month. I had every intention of picking up the Mini for $450, but I happened to notice the Buddy just sitting there, looking very attractive. It doesn't have the nifty case design or the smaller profile of the Mini, but it packs a lot of power and functionality in a little case.


Out of the box, the Averatec Buddy booted quickly and worked great. It had no bloat and ran Win XP perfectly. Connecting to the local wireless network was almost effortless: the machine comes with the wifi card turned off, and it took some exploration to find the keyboard shortcut to turn it on. Once I figured it out, things went smoothly.

I was very impressed with the keyboard. Although not full size, it was surprisingly easy to use. I was typing error-free immediately, which was not the case with the Asus and Acer netbooks on the market. I had originally decided on the Mini because of its keyboard, but quickly realized the the Buddy was the better choice. The new Mini feels a bit flimsy, with a LOT of flex in the keyboard. The Buddy feels sturdy and has no worrisome flex. It just feels like it is more solid and better-constructed, even though it cost $380 to the Mini's $450.

I was pretty impressed with the specs. With the 160GB HDD, 1 GB RAM, 3 USB ports, and webcam (with nice quality picture, I might add), this machine had everything I needed in a small, portable, extra machine to take on the road with me.

I have one complaint and, for me, it is a big one. the volume output and the MIC input are extremely low, necessitating a headset for Skype and headphones for anything audio. The max volume is unlistenable if there is any background noise at all. But with a headset, the input and output are just fine.

Overall, I would recommend this for the price I paid ($380). I wouldn't have paid more, as it lacks bluetooth, stronger sound output, and a case. But I think it was a great deal for me. I would love to see a longer-life battery, too, as the 3 cell really only gives you 2 hours of use.

EDIT: I replaced the included 3-cell battery with a 9-cell battery intended for the MSI Wind. I now get 7.5 hours of battery life, which is a vast improvement. The one drawback to the larger battery is the additional bulk it adds to the bottom of the unit. Then again, now I can use the Buddy all day on one charge. The $80 I spent was a good investment!

I recently replaced the factory installation of Win XP with Ubuntu 9.04 NBR, and I am generally pretty pleased with the way NBR can run on the Buddy straight out of the box. For those considering the switch, be forewarned of a few problems: NBR can't seem to recognize my sound card and mic for using Skype, and I am having syncing problems when watching videos online (i.e. via Youtube). I also noticed that the previously powerful and sensitive wireless card now intermittently fails to detect, or loses its connection to, my wireless network. But I am confident that these will be worked out soon enough.

Still, this was a great little netbook purchase, and I am happy with my decision and the lower price point.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this netbook!, February 5, 2009

By 

Debby (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: N270 1GB 160GB 10.2IN W WXGA (Personal Computers)

I've tried both the Acer Aspire One and the Lenovo S10 and returned both of them. The Acer screen was to small and to hard to upgrade the ram, etc. and the Lenovo got very hot. Doing side by side comparisons at a electronics store I went with the Adveratec Buddy because the screen was bigger and brighter than even the Lenovo and the keyboard was bigger too. The webcam the Averatec Buddy was much better than on the others too. Even though it has a 1.3 megapixel webcam just like the Lenovo it much clearer and the colors were richer. The Averatec Buddy also comes with Cyberlink Youcam software while the others don't include software with the webcam. Unlike the others the Averatec Buddy runs very quietly and does not get hot at all, in fact, it barely gets warm compared with the other two and is very comfortable to hold in you lap.
I had this netbook for three weeks now and I really love it. The only negative is the three cell battery which drains pretty quickly but that is easily fixed by buying a 6-cell or 9-cell battery for it. Alot of websites have batteries for it $55-$65. It fits the same batteries as the MSI Wind. Online reviewers didn't give it a great review because of
the poor battery life and call it a rebranded MSI Wind but after comparing it to others I decided to try it anyway and have not regretted my purchase.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even More Than I Had Hoped, January 27, 2009

By 

BAP, Inc. (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: N270 1GB 160GB 10.2IN W WXGA (Personal Computers)

This is really an MSI Wind clone. I wanted something light and still powerful. This certainly fits the bill. The screen is bright and just big enough. I added another gig of RAM and the machine is certainly quick. I may ramp up the HD to 320 gigs, though the stock 160 gig HD is hefty. The Intel Atom processor lives up to its stellar reputation. The battery runs out rapidly. You need to upgrade. I bought an 8-hour battery for $80. That takes the machine from good to great. For the money, I doubt it is possible to do any better.

Supposedly it is pretty easy to turn this rig into a little Apple-like device. I plan on doing so, loading up Leopard, and have the best-valued Macbook on the market. I'll post the results.