After the release of Windows 7, most netbook manufacturers are upgrading their new netbook model to Windows 7 and 250GB HDD. MSI is doing the same, including their first generation of 10-inch netbook, Wind U100.
While MSI has released several updates to its Wind netbook line including the Wind U120, U123, U110, and U115, the MSI Wind U100 still remains popular. That's why the company decided to upgrade this very first model of their netbook.
Other than the Operating System and hard drive space, other specs remain the same. Netbooknews.de reported that the upgraded version of MSI Wind U100 will cost 349 euros.
The MSI Wind U110 ECO is an 10-inch netbook which claimed to have over 15 hours of battery life with its nine-call battery. It was announced by the company early this year, and now finally made available in the U.S.
This guy mod the battery of his MSI Wind into a iPhone charger. He adds a USB port directly in the battery which allows him to charge his iPhone by just plugging in his iPhone into it. Check it out:
I think the hack is very cool, but not that practical. But if you are interested, the author teach you how to do it here.
MSI Wind U123 which was reviewed a while a go is now available on Amazon.com for $349.99 with a 6-cell battery. Here's what you will get for the price you pay for:
MSI recently released a new netbook model, U123 which is an upgrade for the formal model U120. Compare with U120, it comes with a more powerful Intel Atom N280 processor, and a higher upgrade limit of 2GB RAM rather than the 1GB limit on the U120.
This video gives you a quick overview of the features and specifications of MSI U123:
Here's the specification for the MSI Wind U123:
10-inch 1024 x 600 LED Backlit Display (Anti-glare)
Intel Atom N280 CPU
1GB DDR2-667 RAM (Upgradable to 2GB)
160GB HDD (5400RPM WDC WD1600BEVT-22ZCT0)
Intel GMA950 Graphics
6-Cell 5200mAh Lithium-Ion Battery
1.3MP Webcam
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
LAN 10/100 Port
Multi-card reader (5 in 1)
3x USB 2.0, D-Sub, Microphone, Headphone ports
260 x 180 x 19.75mm Dimensions
1.35kg / 2.9lbs (with 6-Cell)
Windows XP Home SP3
The Wind U123 can be further categorized into 3 versions:
- U123: the standard fare model - U123H: equipped with a 3.5G (HSDPA) WWAN module - U123T: equipped with an integrated TV tuner
Unfortunately, the company does not provide a forth option that combined all features from the 3 above into one "perfect U123".
MSI has been building netbooks with promising performance since its first netbook model, U100, and this latest model does not disappoint us as well. Here are a few reviews done by the experts, which most of them give this machine a thumbs up:
1. Laptop Magazine: Giving the MSI Wind U123 netbook a rating of 4 out of 5, Laptop Magazine complements this machine with its attractive design, comfortable keyboard, long hours of battery life, and competitive price. The only thing that they don't like is the stiff mouse buttons and small touchpad, but you can easily overcome this by getting a wireless laptop mouse. Overall the MSI Wind U123 is still a recommended netbook:
"For just $379, the MSI Wind U123 offers good performance for a netbook and more than 8 hours of endurance. While the similarly configured ASUS Eee PC 1000HE ($399) and Samsung N110 ($469) have more comfortable touchpads and slightly better keyboards, the MSI Wind offers a complete package for a very competitive price." read full review
2. Portable Monkey: Similar to Laptop Magazine , Portable Monkey likes the excellent build quality & design, and also the long battery life of the netbook. The drawback are (1) due to the shape of U123, it cannot be placed on the lap comfortably and (2) if you upgrade anything inside this machine, your warranty is voided.
"The MSI Wind U123 does really well with the important features: an excellent keyboard and display that is relatively quiet and gets up to 6.5 hours on a single charge, but is marred but many more minor flaws: You can’t place it in your lap properly, upgrading your internals voids your warranty, no built-in touchpad scrolling capability and the microphone volumes were barely audible. Some of these flaws look like they will be fixed with firmware updates but the warranty issue will be a deal breaker for most." read full review
Overall, the MSI Wind U123 is great in build quality and performance, but with the limitation that you are not allowed to upgrade the internal parts of the machine or your warranty is void. This shouldn't be an issue for the average users, since most of them will not be doing this.
MSI has recently announced a Wind U100 Plus netbook. It's almost similar to its predecessor model, U100, except for a faster 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU and higher capacity battery which is said to last for 7 hours.
Here’s a rundown of MSI Wind U100 Plus specs:
10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution
1GB of RAM
160GB hard drive
802.11b/g/n WiFi
integrated flash card reader
1.3MP webcam
Bluetooth 2.1.
In addition to the usual white, black and red colors, the MSI Wind U100 PLUS will be available in 2 new colors: Rose Champagne (pink) and Metallic Blue. No words on the release date and price for the U100 Plus netbook for the moment.
which comes with the following specs:
for $349.99 with a 6-cell battery.
