Averatec C3500 Convertible Tablet / Notebook PC $1279.00 @ Costco B&M

Thanks. This looks pretty cool.

More info and pics here.

kardiackidneykids said: thanks for the additional info.

here is a review also

Review

thats not really a review, just a news story

Thanks, OP. but it looks too heavy and thick to me. I'm looking forward to IBM's first tablet PC. Anyone here knows its release date?

financialist said: Thanks, OP. but it looks too heavy and thick to me. I'm looking forward to IBM's first tablet PC. Anyone here knows its release date?

it looks heavy but its only 4.5lbs.. thats not heavy at all.

weird yeah averatec website says 5.5 that review say 4.5. either way.. still light weight.

This tablet pc is just released. I came across it when I was browsing averatec web site. It uses the low voltage amd atholon xp-m 2200+, which is just release too. I was not able to find the power consumption of this thing though. It seems that this is the first tablet pc using amd chips.

I'm surprised Averatec is pushing tablet pcs at costco, from articles I've read tablet PCs haven't caught on as much as the industry would have liked. companies like Dell have stayed away...

j2020 said: I'm surprised Averatec is pushing tablet pcs at costco, from articles I've read tablet PCs haven't caught on as much as the industry would have liked. companies like Dell have stayed away...

FYI, Read this.

Saw it also at the downtown San Francisco costco.

contacted Averatec today and they advised me that the video is Dynamic Video Memory Technology.

i know it is an intel chipset but on an AMD Processor basd PC?
it doesnt sound right... anybody else know?

found this @ the Thousand Oaks, CA costco.
very tempted to buy...

anyone having problems with rebooting?

almost each time i restart the computer in windows xp, it gets stuck in the windows setup process.
Hope this is just the problem with this computer i brought two days ago. I will go exchange it.

Actually I have also noted a lag following the welcome screen, once the desktop is visible and all the background programs load

I would appreciate some input from the computer savy FS'ers also.

Torn between this or the HP NC4000 at eCost..........

Anyone pick one of these up over the weekend and can share their thoughts?

I haven't seen it in the DC/MD/VA area Costco's yet.

Maybe I'm not a computer savy "FS'er" but I did post a link in this thread to a discussion on the Averatec forums about this Tablet. Since nobody seems interested in clicking, I'll just paste a string of messages here and that will serve as my comments on the 3500 that I bought.
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Ok the website says 60GB but the one I just bought at Costco came with an 80GB and it said 80GB on the box-how did I miss that? The graphics card is the integrated SIS 741 or whatever was metioned in an earlier 3500 post. The keyboard layout is the best of any model I've had. (3150,3200). Very Firm, and none of the "F" keys require you to press "Function". -My business associate had a big problem with that. I've never had a Tablet, but with the wireless G, 80GB drive, 4 USB ports, etc. it seems like this is a terrific notebook without the added tablet functionality. They did throw in a PCMCIA slot cover, I didn't much care that it was missing from my two previous models, but it gives me a sense that Averatec is workin out kinks in their design while maintaining a high value for consumers. I was in love with the 3200, but this machine is in a different class altogether. They also tossed in a fairly rigid form fitting blue case-they thought of everything!

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hey hummeriah, I got a few questions for ya, since you have one of the 3500's:
1) do you feel like the laptop is solid? Like does the screen stay in place, or does it feel a little loose?
2) assuming you've used the 3200, does the wireless power seem the same as the 3200 or is it a little weaker on the 3500?
3) if you had the choice between one or the other, which would you buy, the 3200 or the 3500, and why?

I hope these questions aren't too long to answer...I believe you are the first one on this forum who has purchased one, so i'm kinda excited to see what you think! thanks,
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1) The screen hinge on the 3500 actually seems firmer to me than my 3200. Even rotated halfway between upright as a notebook and completely flat as a tablet, the screen remains very rigid. I never had a problem with the screen on my 3200 being loose however. I do think the plastic is a little sturdier than both my 3200 and an Inspiron 600 that a coworker purchased this week. Overall, the 3500 is marginally thicker and wider for a more robust feel. The screen, while also classified as 12 inches like the 3200 is maybe an 1/8th of an inch shorter in length and width, not so much that you'd notice, but I was curious.

2) Now that you mention it, I checked and the signal is about the same as my 3200. In the room of my house farthest from my Netgear router both PCs report a signal strength of very good to excellent and in the room adjacent to my router, they read excellent to very good as well. The readings did fluctuate from time to time from good to excellent, but the XP wireless speed indicator on the taskbar always reported the same speed for both units. If there is a utility or method I can use for a more scientific measurement I'm open to suggestions. However, if you ever wanted to change the wireless card to gain better reception it is located under the same removable panel that conceals the 2! RAM module slots. The hard drive is also under an accessible panel for easy upgrades without voiding the warranty- I'll be putting in the 60GB 7200rpm hd I got for my 3200!

3) This is the hardest question. I love deals. My 3200 replaced a 3150, and I made money selling the older model and I got in on the MC $699 deal for the 3200. I constantly comb techbargains and fatwallet for deals, and in my opinion, the 3200 is one of the greatest values/purchases I have made. I love the idea of a capable notebook for $700.

However, right now the 3500 doesn't offer near the level of value as the 3200. Yes it has improved almost every aspect of the 3200 (though I didn't think the older model was hurting). Wth 4 USB ports, S-video out, 2 RAM slots, a faster processor and all the other features of the 3200, the 3500 makes a great notebook in any category. Add in the functionality of a tablet and it gets pretty amazing. I know it's probably the cheapest tablet out there (aside from those Helium models running Linux), but $1300 is not $700 and though the 3500 gives you an incredible amount of features for your money, you spend a lot more money.

Basically if a friend came to me with $1300 to spend on a notebook, I'd tell him to get the 3200. That said, after seeing the 3500 in action, I'm falling in love with it. Though I don't think it's the smartest decision monetarily, I don't regret buying it either. In the same vein I wouldn't tell any friend to buy the 3200 if they couldn't get it for $699. However, I will return/rebuy the 3500 in order to take advantage of Georgia's tax free weekend this weekend.
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Thanks Hummeriah - I was all set for the 3225HS when the 3500 came along - My local Costco does not have one right now. A contractor buddy has a Gateway Boat anchor Tablet and I was trying to rationalize my need....I'll stick with 3225HS.

Why are you changing the HD to a 60gb when it came w/80gb?
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Glad to help. The 3500 isn't a boat anchor, but I can see how much I've been spoiled by the 3200 which indeed weighs less.

As to the hard drive, well the 60GB I bought is a 7200rpm drive, and the 80GB that comes with the 3500 spins at 4200rpm. I never felt my 3200 drag unbearably, but I got a good deal on the 60 and I don't know of anything I could put in that would be faster now.
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One more thing -you made a great choice but don't pay too much for it. The most sublime pleasure of the 3225 is how inexpensive it is to come into such a feature rich mobile notebook.

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Finally, I found someone who owns C3500!!

I've been considering to purchace a tablet pc for quite a long time.

However, I was not able to convince myself spending $2000 for it.

Then I found this Averatec C3500. The price seems perfect.

But before making the final decision of purchasing this appeared to be the great tablet, I have a few questions for you.

1) Are both memory slots full for Costco version?

2) Do you know if we can get extra battery for this system anywhere? If so, how much those usually cost? (I've never owned Averatec PC, so please forgive my ignorant questions)

3) When you are in tablet mode and attempt to draw from left top screen corner to right bottom screen corner i.e) diagnally, do you see any delay on pen tip?

4) Finally, I heard the rumor about potential of Averatec releasing Atholon 64 version of tablet sometime in October. Research on the web, I found that this AMD chip is compatible or possibly more powerful than Pentium-M in all respects. So my last question is about the costco's six months return policy. Is there any catch with the policy? Such as you cannot return the item once it has been open and used. Once new application is installed, once Widows XP is activated etc. And of course due to the nature of tablet pc, screen have potential of getting a scratch, would this void return policy?

Thank you very much in advance
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In your case I would say seek no further.

If you are determined to get a tablet, then I don't see any way you could get a much better value.

1) Both slots are taken up with 1 256MB module of PC2700 RAM each. The same brand that came with 3150's though I don't recall the name right now.

2) Actually the 3150 and 3200 batteries were the same but this one is not. It uses what I consider to be a more sophisticated/sturdy locking system. The Averatec part number is 21-92310-01. You might be able to find a reseller through a google search or the like. Since it seems more robust/machined than the 3200 battery I would bet it might sell for more than the $100 it generally takes to buy one for the 3200/3150.

3)This seemed like a pretty specific question so I proceeded to simulate what you were talking about. This is my first experience with any tablet, but with the screen flat in tablet mode, I didn't notice any delay or hesitation in drawing or writing anything from any corner to corner.

4) While as far as I know an AMD 64 would be more powerful than a Pentium-M, I think that's almost an apples to oranges comparison. One is designed with low voltage/low power consumption in mind to promote small size and portability. And the other I think is a great desktop powerhouse possibly rivaled only by the fastest and most cost prohibitive Intel processors. I haven't heard anything conclusive about a 64 bit tablet upcoming, maybe another member can correct me. I did see an Engadget story about a proposed 64 bit Averatec tablet but the same story stated it's source may be invalid and that because of the way XP Tablet edition works, it couldn't yet support 64bit chips anyway. At any rate I think that device would be a marketing mistake and particularly counterintuitive, especially for bargin leader Averatec. The heat generated by a 64bit CPU would need a lot more cooling, and a larger more expensive heatsink/fan in addition to its already high price-not exactly in the same value/size category as the 3500. However, contrary to my recent purchase, I think waiting is one of the most valuable things you can do before a large technology purchase.

As far as Costco goes, you'd do better to check their site or call customer service, but as far as I can tell, you can bring computers back for up to six months no question, no penalties--but double check before you rely on this.
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I love the 3200 too, but the 3500 improves on it in every respect. The keyboard is better and a more standard layout. RAM has two slots for more cost effective upgrades. While it's possible to get around voiding the warranty on hd upgrades on the 3200 series, the 3500 requires no such effort - just a straightforward removable panel. The processor is faster. You get all the added tablet functionality plus Microsoft Office OneNote. Even my boss came to me wanting to exchange the 3255 we got him last week from Amazon (he had to travel with something Monday or else we would have waited) for the new 3500, just based on seeing/using mine briefly. From a marketing/investing perspective I think it proves Averatec is dedicated to progression. They may not be the next Dell or HP/Compaq, but they do learn from their designs and mistakes and improve upon them.

That said the one thing I might do is upgrade the mini-pci wireless card, the more I use it, the more the one in the 3200 seems slightly superior.
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While everything I am about to describe is my own personal experience and should not condemn the model as a whole, I thought my recent experience was worth posting.

Late last night I decided to watch a DVD on my new 3500. I wasn't really into it, just wasting time and watching in tablet mode.
I decided to go to bed before it was over, and finish the rest Saturday morning.

When I booted the 3500 up everything worked fairly well until I tried to play the DVD, still in the drive from last night. I was met with a blue screen of death and the notebook rebooted. All attempts to watch the movie through PowerDVD or just start PowerDVD without the disc inserted resulted in the same thing. I figured I would remove and reinstall PwerDVD (I have a copy) and also check Windows update for any driver updates/patches etc.

Side note: While I was checking for updates, my wireless card lost the connection. I didn't have any device running that I could say caused any interference, nor do I have any neighbors close enough with a wireless network that may have confused the 3500. Needless to say I haven't ever had this problem using my 3200, and I frequently use it in the exact same spot.

Side Side note: I think one of the updates available was for the wireless card, I can't be sure, however I didn't get a chance to measure any improvement.

My first tries at solving the DVD problem failed, and device manager stated all my hardware drivers were working properly.
I haven't migrated everything over to the 3500 and I also wanted to see if there was anything I could do to fix the weird start-up lag I notice more and more (maybe this is normal for tablets, though I don't think there was enough preinstalled software or utilities running in the background). I decideced to use the recovery media to reinstall the OS and set everything back to factory original. (I had also tried a system restore for the first time on any machine, restore was sucessful, but that didn't fix the problem.

Now I may have missed something in my diagnosis or gone overboard with the recovery, but it's a process that is fairly simple and I have done it before on my other Averatecs. This time however, it didn't work. 75% of the way through reinstalling the ghost image from the recovery CDs, the process return a fatal error. Subsequent efforts to restart the process from the beginning failed also as the 3500 would no longer initialize the recovery process.

Called tech support. Lola said she could send new recovery media, but try copying the disc first and trying again. I didn't realize that if the original disc was bad that those bad sectors wouldn't prevent a copy from working as well.

Still I love the 3500's potential, and all of this could be attributable to me or my one model. I just wanted to put it out there.

I can't confirm what the problem was, only that copying/burning the recovery cds as tech support instructed allowed me to recover (albeit by reformatting the system-but this was what I intended) and the system shows no ill effects at this time. I'm about to open a 2nd unit tonight, I will post results later and see if they can bat 1.000 for zero dead pixels

hummeriah,

Also please let us know what you think of the intergrated/shared graphics card.

Does this tablet pc come with a Stand alone copy of Windows XP Tablet Edition?

Whenever I buy a prebuilt computer/laptop, I always format the HD and do a clean installation of the OS. I am just wondering if I can do the same with this tablet pc.

Can anyone else comment on this so called "lag" and go into a bit more detail?

Maybe if you're feeling up to it, create a little video clip to demonstrate it so we can judge how bad it is?