Summary: I have been using the Averatec 2155 EH-1 for a week now, and am generally pleased with it.
The 12-inch screen's images are very crisp, and is enhanced by the ATI Radeon graphics card. However, due to the glossy coating, the screen is extremely reflective and hard to see when the brightness is low and the surroundings are bright.
The media software that came with this laptop pleased me, the Power2Go Express toolbar made for easy use of the DVD Burner.
The shell of the laptop is pretty impressive at first glance. It is white, similar to an Apple iBook,and has silver "Averatec" letters on the lid. There is metallic silver trim where the screen joins the laptop, and for the screen latch. However, on a closer inspection, the "2100 Series" letters and other small details are not quite up to standards. The power and quick launch buttons are cheaply made and sometimes unresponsive, and it is sometimes hard to tell what they represent in bright lighting conditions.
The silver keyboard is decent, but, again, small details mar the entire effect. Some buttons are slightly discolored, and the keyboard is sometimes slightly unresponsive.
The trackpad is pretty good, but the mouse buttons are disappointing. They are cut directly from the body of the laptop, and look delicate - with daily use, they will probably not last very long. Upon realizing this, I bought another mouse to use to complement the trackpad.
The wireless internet worked pretty well, once I got it connected. Initially, the connection took a bit of time and effort on my part to get going, I would have liked it if Averatec gave a walk-through in its all-too-brief manual. However, the wireless internet worked great after I got it going.
Another small detail I would like to mention is the power adapter. While the laptop is white, Averatec provides not a matching white adapter, but a black one similar to IBM laptops.
The top right side of the keyboard gets quite warm, presumably because of the location of the hard drive right beneath it.
The laptop's speakers are decent for a laptop, though I still recommend headphones for listening to music.
The battery life is sort of disappointing, but then again, it is an ultraportable, a class where battery life is never high. With the screen on second to lowest brightness, and without using the DVD-CD drive, I managed to squeeze 2 hours 45 minutes out of the battery. I highly recommend buying the extended lifetime battery offered by Averatec for this model.
However, after mentioning all these weaknesses, I would like to conclude on a positive note. The power-saving features in the laptop are pretty good, and the AMD Turion processor performed well up to my standards. The 2 GB upgradeable memory gave me comfort that I could add more to boost performance later. I would still recommend this laptop, despite Averatec's problems with quality control. The 2155 is the best under-$1000 ultraportable - light weight, decent battery life, a good software bundle, and sleek design.
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