facebook rss twitter

MSI's Wind notebook impresses at COMPUTEX

by Parm Mann on 4 June 2008, 15:12

Tags: MSI Laptops, MSI

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qanka

Add to My Vault: x

The breeze has certainly been blowing in MSI's direction here at COMPUTEX '08, where the Wind notebook is luring in huge audiences.

Today, we spent a little time with MSI's little lappy and had the opportunity to speak to Eric Van Beurden, MSI product marketing manager.

The Wind notebook, available in 10.2 or 8.9in models, packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and up to 2GiB of DDR2 memory. It's the latest low-cost ultra-portable notebook to go up against ASUS' Eee, but it's one that's proving to be a worthy challenger.

The key feature of MSI's Wind, in our opinion, is the delightful keyboard. On a device this small, we'd expected to find typing to be a chore - it was anything but. The keyboard utilises as much of the device's frame as it can, and it shows - there's space between each key, and it feels entirely fluent in use.

Quite a few have complained about MSI's chosen touchpad, stating that it's too small. We'd have to disagree, users with medium to large sized hands will find there's enough room to rest your palms alongside the trackpad when using the keyboard. That convenience, we feel, is worth sacrificing a little touchpad space.

The device isn't lightning quick, as you'd expect, but the Atom processor is more than adaquent and the 1024x768 LED screen is easy on the eye. The device itself comes in a shell that isn't quite as glossy as the ASUS Eee, giving it a more sophisticated look. There's three USB ports, built in 802.11b/g WLAN, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel webcam and around five hours of battery life.

So far, so good, but, there are a few downsides. MSI has opted to provide more storage, and both the 8.9 and 10in models will utilise a standard hard disk, as opposed to a more robust solid-state drive. The 10in Wind is confirmed to provide 80GiB of storage, but the 9in model hasn't yet been finalised.

Furthermore, the ample screen and hard disk result in a larger, and heavier notebook. It isn't a whole lot more, but it is noticeable. Linux fans may also have cause for concern, MSI's Eric van Beurden states that we may initially be limited to a Windows XP version in Europe, with Linux being offered at a later date.

These problems, it should be noted, are apparent in the 10in model. The 9in Wind is another matter, it's a problem in itself. At present, the 9in Wind offers the same shell and features as the 10in alternative, only, with a smaller LED screen surrounded by a black border. You'd have to be slightly mad to opt for the 9in Wind, and to make it more appealing, Eric tells us that MSI plans to cut the cost of the smaller model by cutting back on features.

Expect, therefore, the 9in Wind to show up with a smaller hard drive, a possible lack of Bluetooth and maybe one or two other items missing from its arsenal.

There's no need for concern just yet, mind you. We've spent a fair amount of time with the 10in model, and we can't help but want one. It'll be landing in the UK in late-June, at a cost of Ā£329, and will be available in white, black and pink. It'll be followed by the 9in model in late August, along with additional colours and printed designs.

If you're still struggling to choose a low-cost ultra-portable, here's one for you; Eric tells us that MSI is well underway on "Wind 2", but we won't see that until '09, at the earliest.

There's also Acer's Aspire one to consider, we'll be providing our first impressions of that "one" shortly - stay tuned.




HEXUS Forums :: 15 Comments

Login with Forum Account

Don't have an account? Register today!
As compared to the acer which is ~100ukp cheaper?
My thoughts exactly, dangel. MSI have got this one wrong; lighter, cheaper, more resilient, less heartache if it gets borked beats the questionable advantages of a more capacious disk.
At the moment the Acer is going to have to be monumentally bad for me NOT to buy it as nothing else comes close on features and price. As far as I can see the Wind has it's keyboard going for it but not a whole lot else.

Knock 100quid off, put in an SSD and then we'll talk MSI :)
I bet Dangels got an Asus EEE pc hence the sudden dislike to MSI's Wind :p

Edit : I can see one in his Sig whoops…..
Paulm@scan;1437496
I bet Dangels got an Asus EEE pc hence the sudden dislike to MSI's Wind :p

Edit : I can see one in his Sig whoops…..

lol :mrgreen:

Yeah the eee is great but i'm in the market for another one and it's looks to me like ASUS and MSI have both got the price range wrong for the new models as compared to Acer (which is my current fave of the new generation till I see something better for 200quid). I'm certainly not dumb enough to hook onto one brand as being my only possible choice. Asus may of started the market off but it looks to me like they're not #1 for this round so far.