Canon Puts Efficiency On Press-
"A few hunderd $ cheaper than the closest comparable" on by Gunsslinger
Pros: Inexpensive, bright clean display, fast cd writer (comes with Roxio), Great first tablet.. On spec it compares favorably to the Toshiba at $500 more.
Cons: Notorious AMD heat. Weak Batter. Built-in mike is hopeless, pen features could be more configurable. Included case is almost funny, pen/tablet interface takes some getting used to.
Summary: I paid 1099, with rebate, at Circuit City. I upgraded memory (not from retailer) and added a SanDisk 6-in-1 PC Card memory reader. I've been bulding and buying PCs for over a decade. For a do-over I'd buy the cheapest mail order. I have had NO QUALITY ISSUES.
DO: Download and install latest drivers from Averatec. DO: Upgrade memory, 2 512K PC2700 SODIMMs CAS2.5 or better -- these can be had at a discount via mail order or Frys and such. Then Do: Expand video memory to 64K in the BIOS. DO: Windows Update (NOT optional hardware updates!) DO: Download powertoys, experience pack, and TewakUI and Spyware Beta from Microsoft.
You'll want Office 2003 -- I had a copy already. DO: Office update.
I'm enjoying it, haveing a lot of fun learning new features. For a first tablet don't confuse frustrations with learning the new pen-computing with the product itself. -
"Wish there was a "Zero" user rating" on by Zeuser
Pros: Size and tablet format
Cons: Everything else is a lemon.
Summary: This thing is a lemon. I've hd mine for over a year and I really hate it now.
1 - The keyboard is terrible; I know I'm pressing the keys but it fails to register the keypresses and I end up missing a bunch of letters in my text.
2 - Tablet pen sucks. I have to recalibrate it every time I ue it. Even with a fresh battery it often fails to register screen presses.
3 - Case is terrible. The plastic casing is cracked all over. The rubber mounts are falling off all over etc.
4 - Heat is *DANGEROUS*. This CPU overheats so muchis actually downright dangerous.
5 - Performance is ridiculous. This thing is incredibly slow. With the types of applications we're running these days, shared memory video cards are a joke!
6 - Sound is awful. I bought a BT headset instead (and a BT dongle) because I just can't hear people when using VOIP using the built-in speakers.
Conclusion: this thing is a lemon! This is the worst laptop I've ever owned. I was going against the trend of bigger larger laptops, I wanted to use the tablet input and I also wanted to save a few bucks. I should've went with a Toshiba. This Averatec is a lemon.
About myself: Been a software engineer for 15 years. Started my programming career on IBM ATs (286) and have been in the computer field ever since. I've owned dozens of computers. -
"Nice tablet PC that gets too HOT" on
Pros: Build-in optical RW drive, wi-fi, 512MB ram, 60 GB HD, big screen (for tablet PC).
Cons: TOO HOT to use it as a tablet PC...heat up quickly & become way too hot to carry on your arms & lap. Very noisy fan. They should seriously consider using a cooler CPU in this machine.
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"This thing is *cheap* not inexpensive" on
Pros: Low price
Cons: This thing feels like a children's toy. Stylus fell apart after attempting to correct erratic operation by replacing battery. Averatec does not ship a complete operating system image with this system. OneNote is also delivered incomplete and you will h
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"Great Tablet for the Price" on by Jivedaddy
Pros: Good size hard drive, sufficient memory, not too heavy
Cons: Poor battery life, Poor video card performance
Summary: Well, I've had this Averatec for about two or three weeks now, paid $999 with a promotional at CompUSA. They also through in a new Epson printer and some other stuff. Thought I may be able to sell it, along with my 2 year old laptop to help cover the cost of it. The 36 month same as cash deal helps.
Now, re. the laptop itself, I have a love hate relationship with it. I like the smaller form factor from my Toshiba Satellite , and I've been wanting to try out a Tablet PC since attending the MS tablet PC rally a few years ago. And for the price, I can't complain.
The bad though is that the battery life is only about 1 1/2 hours, and if your even remotely thinking you'll do any gaming on this forget it. The video card may be good for basic computing, but that's it. A lower end Nvidia or ATI would have made this laptop a much better buy.
One other thing, replace the battery in the pen the day you bring it home, it will bring that sleepy pen back to life when it approaches the screen for writing. It takes AAAA batteries, which I'd never heard of until then.
To wrap up, all in all, if you want to try a tablet without breaking the bank, go for it. Just realize there are a few major sacrifices here.
Averatec C3500 convertible notebook user reviews
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