Regular readers (my friends and family) will know that I have an almost bizarre fascination with Netbooks and their internals such as the Intel Atom processor. Averatec, a niche computer manufacturer of computers has taken the internal of a Netbook and created an awesome desktop for a low price.
Basically, with the base configuration you get the traditional 1.6Ghz Intel Atom chip, 1 gig of Ram, a 160 gig hard drive, a 4-in-1 card reader, DVD writer, a wide array of connections including 5 USB ports but more importantly a substantial 18.4-inch screen. The screen is attached to the base via an arm much like the old flower iMac’s meaning it can go up and down to suit the viewing angle you desire.
The screen is a fairly high resolution 1680 X 945 widescreen model with a built in webcam. The machine comes with Windows XP, which is still Microsoft’s best operating system but the Atom chip powering this machine is capable of running Windows Vista, any flavour of Linux and even pirated copies of OSX. You also get a basic keyboard and mouse bundled into the package. The whole machine can even be mounted onto the wall if you please.
The best part of this machine is the price which at $550 is an absolute steal. Compared to the Asus Atom desktop, the EEEBOX (which is still not available in South Africa) you pay an extra $200 for double the hard drive space and a high res screen. I’ve never seen the Averatec brand in South Africa but I hope someone brings them into the country as I could see these powering offices country-wide.
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