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Review: MSI Wind with HSDPA: the netbook for 2009?

by Tarinder Sandhu on 1 January 2009, 00:00 3.8

Tags: Wind U100, MSI

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaqkf

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Seen this before?


At the time of launch, the Wind U120H will be available in every colour you choose, as long as it's white. Joking aside, we reckon that the range will grow just like the original Wind's, which is now available in six colours.

Harping back on a familiar theme, as with original, the build quality is good. Pick it up and there are no obvious creaks or rattles from the chassis. We asked a few non-tech-savvy people to put a figure on how much the Wind (2) was worth, based on initial appearance and size, and the average was over £500.


As noted earlier, the chassis is a touch taller than the U100, but you'd never tell by looking at it or handling it. The front has the same eight activity LEDs lining the right-hand side as the original, as well.


Spin it to one side and two USB2.0 ports, power inlet and Kensington Lock are split by the vents. The design has changed a touch, looking more elegant now, and the power inlet is lowered a smidge. They're just cosmetic changes, of course, and we like the black-and-white colour scheme.


Flip it around to the back, shown sans battery, and the panda theme continues. The sample U120H, equipped with a 160GB Western Digital drive, tipped the scales at exactly 1,000g, without the supplied six-cell battery.


And here it is. Click on the picture and you'll see that the six-cell model is big enough to force the back end up; the netbook's two rubber pads don't make contact with the surface.

The larger-capacity battery gives the Wind a slanted feel, from back to  front, but it doesn't impact on typing or general usage in any meaningful way.