MSI is about to start a new round ofВ the “How Should We Define Netbooks?” debate with its new Wind U230 machines. The company is calling the 12-inch replacements for theВ Wind U210 netbooks, but they have awfully ultraportable-ish leanings.
To start, they have 12.1-inch screens — not unheard of for netbooks, but rarer than the more typical 10-inch LCD. Then there’s 2GB of RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium (instead of Starter), and, oh yeah, the dual-core processor inside. Not a dual-core Atom as we saw on the Eee PC 1201N, but an AMD chip coupled with an ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics chips are responsible for processing all images sent to your computer?s display. Learn Moregraphics card.
I can hear fights breaking out already. “Netbook!” “Notebook!” “Dessert Topping!” “Floor Wax!”
These new Winds, whatever they are, come in two models: the U230-033 has an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 CPU and a 250GB The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data. Learn Morehard drive; the U230-040 has an AMD Athlon X2 L335 CPU and a 320GB drive. Otherwise, the two models are identical from their HD displays (16:9, 1366 x 768 WXGA), b/g/n wi-fi, 1.3MP webcam and 6-cell batteries. And, of course, HDMI out amongst the usual ports.
Lest this sound too exciting, there’s a fly in the ointment as concerns that battery: it’s rated for only 4 hours of life by MSI. I imagine that size display combined with the power-hungry AMD chip makes for an ultraportable that won’t want to stray too far from an outlet.
The MSI Wind U230-033 will set you back just $429 and the beefier Wind U230-040 ups the price to $479. They’re available now at Newegg.
MSI announced a handful of new 10 inch netbooks with Intel Atom N450 processors in January. The MSI Wind U160 is probably the most attractive of the bunch. I got a chance to play with one for a few minutes at CES, but Johannes at NewGadgets.de did me one better and he got MSI to send him a pre-production model. You can check out his unboxing video (in English) after the break.
The laptop has a glossy lid, a chiclet-style keyboard, and a textured touchpad with a single mouse button that makes the Wind U150 look an awful lot like the Asus Eee PC 1005PE.
The computer ships with Windows 7 Starter Edition, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, GMA 3150 graphics, and a choice of a 3 or 6 cell battery. There’s also a SIM card slot, indicating that the Wind U160 may be available with a 3G modem.
The 6 cell battery does stick out like a sore thumb at the back of the netbook. One thing that sets the Wind U160 apart from other MSI netbooks is that it has a two-tone color scheme. The lid, keyboard, and base of this particular unit, for instance, are black. But the battery and the area where the keyboard meets the lid are a metallic gray color. I’m not really sure how I feel about this particular color combo, but the models I saw at CES had more of a gold and chrome color combo, which looked a bit better.
You can check out Johannes’s unboxing video and a few hands-on photos I shot at CES after the break.
People have been turning netbooks into tablets almost as long as netbooks have been around. But Insanely Wind forum member c0ff33 is working on one of the most ridiculously complicated tablet mods I’ve seen to date. He’s already managed to add a touchscreen, flip the display to it rests on top of the keyboard and use the netbook in tablet mode — while dual booting Windows 7 and OS X 10.6.2.But the next step is to add a mechanism allowing him to slide the screen up and reveal the keyboard beneath.
There are plenty of cellphones and small UMPCs with slide-out keyboards. But if c0ff33 pulls this off, he may have one of the only 10 inch tablets with a slide-out keyboard around.
And there’s probably good reason for that. A slide-out keyboard makes a lot more sense on a handheld device that you use your thumbs to type on while holding it with both hands. I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to use a nearly-full sized keyboard that slides out under the screen. It seems like the only comfortable typing position would be lying in bed or on a couch with your feet up and the tablet propped on your thighs. You know, kind of like the position Apple keeps showing in its iPad videos. I mean seriously, where are that guy’s legs even resting?
Anyway, the MSI tablet hack is still a work in progress. And whether it’s useful or not, it’s certainly impressive. You can find more details at the Insanely Wind forum.
This week, MSI announced the release of its latest 10-inch netbook, the MSI Wind U160. Like most new netbooks announced in the past week or two, it features Intel’s new Atom N450 CPU, which is designed to offer longer battery life. However, after spending some quality time with a pre-production unit of the Wind U160, we can say the change is much more than processor deep.
New Look
The U160 sports a completely new design that is significantly lighter and slimmer than prior Wind models. At 2.2 pounds, the U160 is one of the lightest netbooks we’ve ever used and significantly lighter than the Wind U135 (2.8 pounds) or Wind U110 (3.2 pounds). Its chassis is also well under an inch thick, making it a bit thinner than prior Winds.
Several new design elements provide the Wind U160 with a distinctive, high-tech look. The deck and screen bezel are a subtle gold color with a glossy sheen that MSI calls a “Color Film Print finish.” The lid is a tasteful light brown glossy material with an attractive MSI logo that lights up when the system is on. Most noticeable and attractive of all the design elements is the large round metallic hinge which contains the power button.
Keyboard, Touchpad
The keyboard and touchpad have undergone major changes from prior Winds as well. The keyboard is now a chiclet-style design that seems to offer more tactile feedback than the classic Wind keyboard found on models like the Wind U100. The touchpad now features a raised texture.
While both the touchpad and the keyboard are improved, they aren’t perfect. The right shift key is just a little on the small side and we would have preferred two discrete mouse buttons over a single bar.
Specs
Aside from the Atom N450 processor, most of the U160’s specs are quite familiar. It comes with 1GB of RAM, a 250GB The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data. Learn Morehard drive, Windows 7 ($74.49) Starter, and a 10-inch, 1024 x 600 screen. On the right side, it has two USB ports, Ethernet, audio in/out, and a card reader. On the left, it has another USB port and VGA.
Early Verdict
Our MSI Wind U160 is a preproduction unit, not fit for benchmark testing. However, if the final build has long battery life and solid performance, the stylish, light design could make this netbook a hit.
Check out our hands-on video with the U160 below and let us know what you think of its design in the comments section.
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Hot on the heels of the Asus Eee PC 1005PE-P, MSI has announced its Pine Trail-based netbook, the Wind U135. The two designs are actually remarkably similar, but the U135 is more of a value play at $329, while the Asus costs $379. What do you get for $50 less? About half as much battery life.
This system features a 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, a 250GB, 5,400-rpm The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data. Learn Morehard drive, 1GB of RAM, and Windows 7 ($79.95) Starter. Read on for our hands-on impressions of the U135 and to see how it did on our tests.
When we first opened the lid of the U135, we thought we received a second 1005PE-P by mistake, and with good reason: The two keyboards are almost identical, and both have a single mouse bar as opposed to discrete buttons. We wonder if the two companies shop at the same supplier. Neverthless, the U135 was just as comfortable to type on as the 1005PE.
The U135’s battery sticks out the bottom of the system; while not as egregious as the Wind U110, it is more noticeable than other netbooks with 6-cell batteries, and made the U135 feel a bit bulkier than other netbooks, even though it weighs 2.8 pounds. Once inside our messenger bag, it disappeared like every other system of its size and weight.
While our U135 came in a dark blue, consumers will also be able to get the system in silver, red, or black. A way line pattern on the lid is also repeated on the touchpad, which adds a nice graphical element to the design.
In our performance tests, the U135 and the Eee PC 1005PE ran neck and neck. In PCMark05, the U135 scored 1418 to the 1005PE’s 1,410. Both scores are south of the netbook average (1498). In 3DMark06, the U135 scored 154, the same as the Asus netbook, and a shade below the average of 160.
The U135 was a bit more lethargic in our file transfer test, copying a 4.97GB folder of multimedia in 5 minutes and 6 seconds, a rate of 16.6 MBps, which is nearly 10 MBps slower than the 1005PE, but a hair above the netbook average.
The one area where the U135 disappointed us was in battery life. In our preliminary test (Web surfing via Wi-Fi), the U135’s 6-cell batteryВ saw just 5 hours and 35 minutes, which is about 40 minutes less than the 6-cell netbook average, an hour less than MSI’s claim, and 5 hours less than the 1005PE. We’ll be running the test again to confirm.
In sum, the Wind U135 looks and performs well for a netbook, keeping pace with its bretheren. However, battery life takes a step back, especially considering that the Atom N450 is supposed to offer 20 percent greater endurance than the previous generation of Atom chips. We’d certainly cough up the extra $50 for the Asus Eee PC 1005PE, and get those extra 5 hours of work and play time.
The first netbook with Intel’s next generation Atom chip (Pine Trail) may be an MSI Wind. DigiTimes reported that MSI was eager to be the first to market with a Pine Trail touchscreen netbook running Windows 7. If the chip performs as an MSI rep claims — “improved graphics performance and at least 20 percent better power consumption” according to Gizmodo — it’s no surprise that they’re eager to get Pine Trail-powered netbooks out to market.
Though MSI told Gizmodo that Pine Trail’s official launch will happen at next year’s CES, Intel hasn’t confimed it. The sooner we see Pine Trail netbooks, the better. The step up in power and performance could produce some seriously impressive systems. As MSI plans to combine it with a touchscreen, the new Wind U150 may impress us as much as the original Wind U100 did.
The MSI Wind U100 comes with a new color “Angel White”, which will be available on December 13th, 2008. The specs is still the same. As a reminder, the netbook features a 10.2’’ LCD screen with a WSVGA resolution (1,024×600), an Intel Atom (1.6GHz), an Intel 945GSE Express chipset, 1GB of memory, 160GB of HDD, as well as Wifi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0, and 1.3Mpix web camera. This new U100 color retails for 480€. [Akihabara]
The new MSI wind will be here in time for the holidays and there are some new specs out fresh for you laptop lovers.
This value-priced ultraportable will weigh in around 3 pounds and comes with the standard 10″ display. Built in with WiMAX tech and a 3.5G network add-on, this is built for power internet users who want to connect anywhere.
Inside, you have a fast, 160GB drive and a Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 graphics setup for casual internet and old-school gaming. Not a ton of power or space, but enough for the home or business user to get by with.
Plus, with 3 USB ports and a card reader, this is set up for importing media and working with photos.
A good setup, can’t wait to check out the final specs and price.
The MSI Wind U100 Plus is basically a modest upgrade to the classic MSI Wind U100. Both netbooks have the same keyboard, case design, and screen. But the Plus version has an ever-so-slightly faster processor. It replaces the Intel Atom N270 CPU with an N280 processor that runs at 1.66GHz and which has an FSB of 667MHz. The N270 chip runs at 1.6GHz and has a 533MHz FSB.
It’s selling for the equivalent of about $400. Since it looks pretty much identical to the U100, there’s not really that much to see, but if you’re curious, you can check out a video after the break. Bear in mind, Sascha says the netbook has an Intel Atom N270 CPU, but I think that he misspoke. You just get so used to saying that number over and over, it’s hard to force the words “N280″ out of your mouth sometimes.
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Hot on the heels of the 
