NbC: MSI Wind U135 Unboxed [Video]

MSI were kind enough to send over the MSI Wind U135 netbook for us to test. Whilst we’ll be putting the 10-inch U135 through its paces over the next couple of weeks, we first shot an unboxing video along with our preliminary impressions.

I have to say I’m impressed with MSI’s efforts in its new range of Intel Pine Trail netbooks. Whilst the Wind U160 may be the head-turner, the U135 isn’t too bad itself. Whilst we’re never fans of seeing a glossy lid, it doesn’t seem to be as much of a fingerprint magnet compared to the other models. The chiclet keyboard also has proved to be comfortable and we really like the textured touchpad. It’s not the biggest, but the tracking is very accurate and the finger scrolls smoothly over the surface. The single rocker bar underneath also has good feedback.

We’re currently conducting our usual round of battery and performance tests and will come back with a review in due course. Until then, check out our unboxing video after the break. Read more

NbC: Samsung N510 netbook unboxed

The Samsung N510 is one of the first Nvidia ION-powered netbooks on the market. It has just seen its retail release in the UK, where it is selling for around the £400 mark. Whilst it is towards the top-end of netbook price-points, it is worth remembering that the Samsung N120 cost around £370 on launch. Not too bad considering that the Samsung N510 offers an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED-backlit display, ION chipset and 7-hour battery.

The much-anticipated Samsung N510 has landed at NbC HQ and we’ve promptly done an unboxing to show you what to expect inside the box. We would like to clarify that we have the UK SKU and it seems that Samsung has been kind to us. The UK model has a 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor and 5900mAh battery. This is an improvement over the mainland European version that is sold with the 1.6GHz N270 Atom and lower capacity 5200mAh battery. Read more

NbC: Toshiba Mini NB200 netbook unboxed

The Toshiba Mini NB200 netbook is widely regarded as one of the better netbooks on the market today. The NB200 is Toshiba’s 10-inch follow up to its 8.9-inch NB100. The same netbook has been released with slightly different names in Japan (Dynabook UX) and the US (Mini NB205).

We managed to get hold of the NB200 to find out whether it really stands up to the hype. The particular model we have is the NB200-10Z, which is the high end SKU. This model comes with a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU, chiclet keyboard and a battery that is rated to last for around 9 hours. It also comes with a love-it-or-hate-it satin brown lid that we quite like, the matte finish means little risk of fingerprint marks.

One of the first things you notice when you lay eyes on the NB200 for the first time is that it is one of the more stylish offerings in the netbook space. It has a silver chiclet keyboard and slender chassis, it also feels very solidly built. We’re disappointed that Toshiba didn’t use a matte display, but we’ll see just how much this hinders use under extensive testing. A full review of the NB200 will follow, but in the meantime check out our unboxing video and photo gallery after the break. As always, if you have any questions please let us know in the comments below. Read more

NbC: Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell netbook unboxed

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA was officially announced for the UK today and Asus were kind enough to send over the netbook for testing. The Eee PC 1005HA looks very similar to the first 1008HA Seashell model, but is slightly thicker and heavier due it having a removable battery (the 1008HA has a sealed battery). You also don’t get the flaps over the port doors that you get in the slimmer 1008HA. The 1005HA also has a full-sized VGA port.

As we reported earlier, there are two (quite different) UK SKUs for the Eee PC 1005HA. The model that we were sent is the Eee PC 1005HA-WHI064X. This particular version is the white 1005HA powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU. Compared to the more expensive N280 Atom model, this model has a lower capacity 6-cell battery, no Bluetooth, no netbook sleeve, a matte screen (N280 SKU has a glossy screen) and a 0.3MP webcam (N280 SKU has a 1.3MP webcam). 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

NbC: Samsung N120 netbook unboxed

The Samsung N120 netbook dropped through our letterbox this morning and we thought we’d share our unboxing of Samsung’s latest netbook addition. We have a white N120 to put through its paces and initial impressions are certainly favourable.

As a quick recap, the Samsung N120 is one of the first netbooks to feature a full sized keyboard into a 10-inch netbook. Whilst this means you have a thick bezel around the screen, it doesn’t look too bad in the flesh. The speakers mounted either side of the screen go some way to making it less of an issue. Initial impressions on the keyboard itself are positive, it feels natural to type on and all of the buttons are in the right places. It’s not a chiclet keyboard, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less comfortable to type on.

I also like the matte effect on the chassis, it means the lid is not prone to fingerprints like some netbook models are. The other big selling point for the N120 is the 2.1 speaker system, we haven’t had a chance to test this yet, as the N120 is being charged as we speak. We will come back with a full review once we’ve put the Samsung N120 through some extensive testing. As always, if there are any questions you’d like answered, feel free to ask away in the comments section and we’ll do our best to answer them. Click through for the unboxing photos. Read more

NbC: Asus Eee PC 1000HE Unboxing

Asus kindly sent us an Eee PC 1000HE to put through its paces. We are hoping to have a full review up in a week or so, but in the meantime we thought we’d share our unboxing of the 1000HE.

We were sent a white model and it certainly looks attractive with its glossy white lid. The 1000HE is almost identical to the 1000H but has a faster CPU (1.66GHz N280 Atom versus the 1.6GHz N270 Atom in the 1000H), a chiclet keyboard and better battery life (9.5 hrs versus 7 hours for the 1000H).

We’ll be doing the full range of battery, HDD and CPU tests that you would expect over the next few days. If there are any questions you’d like answered, feel free to ask away in the comments section and we’ll do our best to answer them. Click through for a full gallery of photos. Read more