Averatec Blackline 4360 review

Averatec's Blackline 4360 takes it name from the attractive black speckled finish on its lid, which immediately differentiates it from the more distinctive Averatec Colourline models.

The black finish appears to be aimed at the serious business user, and the 4360 is well specified throughout with good build quality.

The display was the first thing that impressed us. It is 13.3" across with a 1,280x800 resolution that provides plenty of space for day-to-day computing. The Windows desktop looked remarkably crisp and well defined. The slightest hint of graininess is visible, but not enough to spoil it. The screen produced a clean, bright white, and rendered both our greyscale and colour tests accurately. It's a great display and will enhance any tasks you undertake on this notebook.

The chassis's minimal and unfussy design is pleasing to the eye. It feels fairly rigid and, at just 2kg, is easy to carry around. Despite the notebook's small dimensions, the keys are a decent size and comfortable to type on. The touch pad is accurate and neatly integrated into the chassis, although the buttons could do with more feedback.

Around the edges of the notebook are all the ports you'd expect, including three USB2 ports. One of these is designated as an active port, which means it can power an external device even while the notebook is switched off. This is useful for charging devices such as iPods, but it works only when the notebook is plugged into the mains. A memory card reader is provided with support for SD, MMC and MS card formats.

The small chassis may be relatively portable, but the battery life was average. It will suffice for use around the home but isn't really suitable for life on the road. It performed well in applications, however, with the Intel Core Duo T2300 and 1GB of RAM sailing through our tough benchmarks. The onboard Intel GMA 950 graphics chipset is unsuitable for gaming and wouldn't even run our Doom 3 benchmark at the required settings.

The 80GB hard disk is sufficient for most storage needs and comes with a good range of pre-installed software, including Marco Polo EuroRoute and Norton Internet Security. Averatec also provides a lengthy two-year collect-and-return warranty for added peace of mind.

Averatec's Blackline 4360 is a well-priced and highly portably notebook, but its battery life could be better. Even so, this notebook would be ideal for those who want a compact, stylish computer for use around the home.