We're quite fond of MSI's Wind netbook, but it's now facing some stern competition. Popular consumer brands such as Samsung and Toshiba are joining the netbook foray, and the good ol' ASUS Eee has a few new party pieces such as built-in 3G.
MSI, as you'd expect, isn't resting on its laurels and has a few Wind announcements on the way - though, nothing in relation to that nine-cell battery we're itching to get our hands on.
Andy Tung, MSI’s director of U.S. sales, recently got chatting to the chaps over at Laptop Mag and spilt a few tasty details. First of all, MSI has teamed up with a big-name U.S. retailer and will be offering its Wind U100 at stores nationwide in a matter of days. Tung didn't reveal exactly which retailer, but we're guessing somewhere along the lines of Best Buy or Wal Mart.
The Wind U100 will be priced at $399 in the yet-unnamed store, and that'll no doubt help spark sales. Consumers, however, should be wary - the Wind U100 to be sold in-store will be the original model featuring the lacklustre three-cell battery, not the new-and-improved six-cell edition.
Later this year, but just in time for those all-important Christmas sales, Tung reveals that MSI will be launching the Wind U120 - a netbook referred to by Tung as the Wind 2. It's said to provide "a whole new look", solid-state storage options, built-in 3G and a beefed-up price-tag of $600.
Bad news for the Linux faithful, though. Tung adds that Linux-powered Wind netbooks tend to be returned four times more often than their Windows XP counterparts. Don't be surprised, then, if Wind 2 arrives as an XP-only system.
