Just bought the Averatec C3500 at the Costco in Oxnard, CA. While this won't be an in-depth review, I will point out my observations after working with it for the past 2.5 hours.

First thing I noticed upon opening the box that I wasn't expecting (or just had missed in reading the reviews) was that it comes with a case. Not sure what the material is - Neoprene, I think. Unfortunately, there's no handle to carry the thing - but will fit nicely in a briefcase or a backpack.

This notebook is really putting out the heat! I noticed this after I plugged in the AC adapter when the battery ran down about 40 minutes into using it. (The battery indicator showed it had about 1/3 charge in it out of the box.) The heat is most intense on the bottom, left, rear. There is no way I could use this on my lap. It has little rubber "nubs" on the bottom to raise the machine up a bit for airflow, but I'm not sure its enough. Hopefully, the heat won't cook the processor.

I haven't played around with the Tablet features much yet, although the handwriting recognition seems to be pretty good. That's a Windows software matter, though, and not distinctive to this machine.

The internal wireless network card seems to work well. I haven't tested the Ethernet plug or the modem yet.

Sound from the on-board speakers are typical for a notebook - crappy.

The software that comes with the notebook is minimal. There is no Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. I was "fooled" into thinking it had a full Microsoft Office suite as there is a folder under Start/Programs labeled "Microsoft Office," but it only has Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 in it.

I tried to get the latest update to OneNote online, but about half way through the installation, I got a message saying that an installation file was missing - a .cab file - and to insert the installation CD. Unfortunately, there was no installation CD, so I had to abort the update. There might be something on the Recovery CDs that came in the box, but I didn't want to mess with it. They say they are only for a factory restore and will permanently delete all data on the hard drive - I didn't want to get into that right now.

The programs seem to open slowly and bog down when multiple programs are open. I noticed this when there were 5 Internet Explorer windows open. Now, to be fair, I had downloaded the Norton Antivirus update, Windows updates, and attempted the OneNote update, all without re-booting. So, this problem may clear up when I do reboot.

The keyboard is average to below-average. I can't really tell if it is a "full-size" or not, but it feels smaller. The keys don't "click" when typing, so the noise level shouldn't be distracting to others in the room or on a plane if you are typing a lot. An annoying feature is that the "End" key is located on the "Home" key and you have to hold down the "Fn" key at the lower left corner of the keyboard to get the End key to work. For those who type a lot, this will be a hassle, although, like anything, it will only take a little while to get used to it.

The biggest problem with the keyboard is that when I get typing fast - around 50 words a minute - it seems like some of the keys miss. I don't know if it's because my fingers aren't used to the keyboard and I'm just not pressing the keys down all the way, or if fast typing causes the computer to not read all the keystrokes. Since I do a lot of typing, this will be a deal breaker if I can't overcome this problem.

Fortunately, Costco has a great return policy for their computers - 6 months. So, I'll give this thing a try for the next couple of weeks or so, and it shouldn't be too big of a hassle to return it. The worse thing about that will be that I will have to start my search for a new laptop all over again!

The weight of the notebook with battery is exactly 5.5 pounds - as represented. Definitely a big difference from my 3 year old 8.5 pound HP Pavilion notebook. Yet, I really wanted something closer to an ultraportable to take on the plane. I'm still not sure if I want to pay a bit more for that and lose the internal DVD/CD-RW drive and the Tablet features.

All in all, this so far seems to be a good machine for the price.

Have fun with your Averatec C3500. Make sure you run Windows Updates to install all the latest fixes.

Then, you can decide whether you want to participate in Windows XP Service Pack to beta. If you do, you can download it from TabletPCPost.com.

In terms of heat, it can be an issue with small form factors. Averatec warned us that it would be too hot for most people to hold on a lap (same reason companies stopped using the word "laptop" and adopted "notebook" oh so many years ago) and to keep reminding people that air circulation is important. Prop it up when not in use. Averatec even suggested that you consider a cool pad when you're at a desk.

Right, it comes with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Microsoft Journal, and Microsoft OneNote. OneNote is part of the Office 2003 Family, but is not bundled with Microsoft Office 2003. Like with most machines, you will need to purchase your productivity software separately.

Good feedback in terms of the keyboard. Keep trying to use the pen too. It'll take you a while to get used to it, but it'll be well worth the effort.

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-- Lora Heiny

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