MSI Wind U210: AMD-powered 12.1-inch netbook unveiled

MSI has already announced the 12.1-inch Wind U200 CULV-based netbook. However, it looks like MSI is releasing a companion netbook dubbed the Wind U210 that will be powered with an AMD Neo processor. The feature set looks to remain the same apart from the AMD internals.

Specifically, it will ship with an AMD Athlon X2 MV40 processor, 2GB RAM and a 250GB SATA HDD. It will also come with Windows Vista Home Premium. It will be available in both black and gray and cost €449 in mainland Europe. A cheaper SKU is also expected that will ship with Windows XP and have 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD and cost €399. There’s no word of a UK price or shipping date right now. Read more

MSI Wind U100 PLUS video hands-on

The MSI Wind U100 PLUS netbook is only a few weeks away from being released in Europe, however Sascha from NetbookNews managed to get hands-on with the device at the Taipei Computer Market. The U100 PLUS is effectively a refresh of the U100 and comes with a faster N280 (1.66GHz) Atom processor and two additional colours (Rose champagne and Metallic Blue).

He played with the metallic blue version, which has a glossy lid and matte display. The specs are pretty much the same as the U100 (bar the upgraded Atom) and comes with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. It is currently being sold in Taipei for the equivalent of $400 or €320. Check out the video after the break. Read more

MSI to launch Pineview-powered touchscreen netbooks in December

MSI will launch netbooks using Intel’s next-generation Atom Pineview processors in December 2009 according to Digitimes. The Intel Pine Trail platform launch has been pushed back from October 2009 to Q1 2010, but the report says that MSI is planning to launch their netbooks ahead of schedule to avoid competition. This means the company would not need to compete on price.

The new netbooks will use the Windows 7 operating system and also come with touchscreen displays. MSI’s peers, such as Asus and Asustek, will be sticking with Intel’s schedule according to the report.

MSI Wind U100 PLUS shipping soon in Europe

The MSI Wind U100 PLUS was announced four months ago but we haven’t heard anything since. Well it now looks like the U100 PLUS will finally start to ship in Europe within the next few weeks. The U100 PLUS is effectively a refresh of the U100 and comes with a faster N280 (1.66GHz) Atom processor.

It also comes in two additional colours, Rose Champagne and Metallic Blue, as well as the original three colours (red, black and white). Apart from that the specifications appear to be the same as the original U100 netbook.

Via Fudzilla.

HP & MSI planning Pineview-powered tablet netbooks for H1 2010?

Both Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Micro-Star International (MSI) are planning to launch convertible netbooks during the first half of 2010, according to Digitimes. MSI will be launching a 10-inch tablet netbook at the start of 2010, whilst HP plans a similar release for April/May 2010 manufactured by OEM Inventec.

The report says that both convertible netbooks will use Intel’s next-gen Pineview N450 Atom processor. It’s therefore very likely that they will be powered by Windows 7, taking advantage of the operating system’s touch features. It also says that Asus will be launching its 10-inch Eee PC T101 tablet netbook with Windows 7. The report goes on to say that Apple may be launching its tablet device as early as November 2009.

Via Electronista.

MSI Wind U200 hitting Europe in next few weeks

There has not been much news on MSI’s 12-inch Wind U200 over the last couple of months. Despite this, the device is now up for pre-order on German retailer Notebook.de for €629. There’s no release date listed, although availability is expected in 3-4 weeks.

This particular model comes with Intel’s 1.3GHz Pentium US2700 processor, 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD. Other features include HDMI-out, Wi-Fi (Draft-N), three USB ports, a 1.3MP webcam, 6-cell battery and 4-in-1 card reader.

However, Fudzilla claims that we may expect to see a U200 with a lighter 1.2GHz Intel Celeron M Processor ULV 723 by the end of next week. It says that this less powerful version will cost around the €499 mark. This version will come with 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD.

The Wind U200 seems like a solidly built netbook with a full-sized keyboard and high-res display (1366 x 768). The ULV processor is paired with the Intel GS45 chipset and Intel GMA 4500M graphics.

Via NetbookNews.it.

MSI and ECS cautious over ARM smartbooks

A big smartbook push is expected by a number of manufacturers towards the end of the year. This includes netbook heavyweights such as Asustek and Acer. However, another heavyweight in the industry, Micro-Star International (MSI) will not be following suit according to Digitimes.

The report says that both MSI and Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) will watch the launch round from the sidelines, to determine exactly what the market response will be for these new devices. ECS was planning on entering the smartbook segment, through orders from Chinese vendors. However, these orders were cancelled and now ECS will wait until early next year before making another move in this new area.

Hannspree HANNSnote SN10E1 reviewed – great value for money

Hannspree’s Hannsnote 10-inch netbook is basically a rebadged MSI Wind. The Hannsnote SN10E1 netbook has been on sale for the past couple of months in the UK for £259.99 and seems to offer good value for money, despite its generic specifications. For this money, it offers features found in more premium models including a wireless draft-N, Bluetooth and a 6-cell battery good for around 5 hours.

TrustedReviews has put the HANNSnote through its paces and scored it well (8/10) mainly due to its value offering and ‘premium’ features outlined above. Given that Misco.co.uk are offering £30 cashback until the end of August, this makes the HANNSnote an even more compelling offering at £230. This puts it a significant discount to the likes of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE at £290 that has a better keyboard and touchpad. Check out the key review points after the jump. Read more

MSI Wind battery hack to charge other USB devices

Now I’ve certainly never seen anything like this. The guys over at Prusadjs.cz hacked a MSI Wind battery so that it could be used to charge other USB devices, namely an iPhone. The 3-cell battery only provides a few hours of battery to run the netbook, but it has enough to power to keep a USB device charged for a while.

The mod is not for the faint hearted, he ended up opening up the battery and soldering an USB port. The great thing is that once modded it still can be used to power the MSI Wind netbook. Check out the video after the jump. Read more

NbC: MSI Wind U115 Hybrid Review

The MSI Wind U115 Hybrid netbook is perhaps the most fully featured netbook on the market today. It’s driven by the powerful Poulsbo Intel chipset and an energy-efficient Z520 Atom processor. The biggest talking point surrounding the U115 Hybrid, however, is its dual hard-disk drive and solid-state storage. A combination of the above factors leads to the longest battery times we’ve seen in a netbook thus far.

All of this comes at a premium though. At around £450 the U115 Hybrid is significantly more expensive than its 10-inch peers. Despite the technology involved, this price may have been easier to swallow had the design moved on since the original Wind U100. However, if you have the spare cash and are not dictated by the fashionista, then the U115 Hybrid definitely deserves your consideration. Read on for our thorough review, including some comprehensive performance and battery tests. Read more

PC Pitstop’s survey rates MSI Wind U100 as most “loved netbook”

PC Pitstop run an online diagnostic and tune-up service, which has been scanned onto millions of PCs. As part of this service, they also ask owners how satisfied they are with their PCs. According to the results, it seems that netbook owners are largely satisfied with their purchases.

They have compiled a top nine list of netbooks for user satisfaction, which is topped by the MSI Wind U100. The overall rating scale is measured out of four stars. The survey also asks whether the PC freezes, reboots and how fast they are. All top 9 machines fare very well in the survey, with even the ninth position scoring 3.03 stars.

Interestingly, the MSI Wind U-100, Asus Eee PC 1000HE, and Samsung NC10 are also among Pitstop’s top 10 for notebooks of all types. This suggest that many people don’t see them as substitutes for laptops and are happy with their performance. Check out the top nine most loved netbooks after the jump. Read more

MSI Wind U115 Hybrid stripped bare

MSI’s Wind U115 Hybrid is the next netbook to be disassembled by teardown experts, Netbook Italia. This is one model I was particularly interested in seeing its guts exposed, mainly to find out how they ended up packing in both a HDD and SDD and also keeping its weight reasonably low at 1.3kg.

Owners of the Wind U115 shouldn’t really try this at home as MSI void your warranty if you attempt to open the case. Despite this risk, Netbook Italia found that it was relatively easy accessing the internal components and upgrades can be completed with reasonable ease. Read more

NbC: MSI Wind U115 Hybrid netbook unboxed

MSI were kind enough to send over the much-talked-about Wind U115 netbook. This 10-inch netbook differs from almost every other netbook out there by including two hard-drives within its chassis. In the particular model we have you’ll find an 8GB SSD and 160GB HDD. We understand that other SKUs were planned with different hard-drive capacities, but I’m not sure how that’s changed with Microsoft now ‘banning’ hybrid netbooks.

Given how much tech MSI has managed to squeeze into the case, I’ve very impressed to see that the weight is no heavier than the Samsung N120 at around 1.3kg, including a 6-cell battery. This particular model isn’t really aimed at the fashionista, you won’t find any dynamic angles, striking curves or chrome effects on the U115. However, it does have a printed design on the glossy lid and it comes with a matte display which always earns a tick in our books.

The keyboard looks a little small, but that’s bound to be the impression when you’ve just spent a lot of time with the Samsung N120, which has a 97-percent sized keyboard. The touchpad also looks small and the single rocker bar sits a bit too flush with the palm rest, which means I often have to look to see where the left mouse button is. The Wind U115 is all about battery life though and we’re very much looking forward to seeing how it fares against the competition. We should have a review up in a couple of weeks, in the meantime check out our unboxing pictures below. Read more

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