MSI Wind gets official pricing and availability for the US: $399

We already knew most of the details on the MSI Wind, but the Atom-based ultraportable just got official US pricing and availability today -- and just like we hoped, it got a little cheaper on the trip over. Although there'll be both 8.9-inch and 10-inch versions worldwide, we're only getting the 10-inch in both XP and Linux flavors, starting June 3rd. The SuSE version will feature that 1.6GHz Atom, 512MB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, and a 3-cell battery rated at 2.5 hours of use for $399, while the XP edition will come in at $549 with 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth, and a larger 6-cell battery good for 5.5 hours. There's also apparently going to be a $500 "base" XP edition, but details on that are pretty sparse at the moment. Looks like ASUS had better get that Atom-based Eee 900 out by June as planned if it wants to keep up, eh?

[Onetrack @ May 13th 2008 7:07PM]

Well thats a lot better than expansys's overpriced 610 from 4 days ago.

Who's pre-ordering?

[lee.ferrett @ May 13th 2008 7:07PM]

If anyones interested theirs a site following this netbook, here;

http://msiwind.net

[Ninjakamster (PSN: Chin-Poh) @ May 13th 2008 7:23PM]

Count me interested in this device.

I still wonder the performance of these Atom chips. I hear they didn't do too well against the 900mhz ULV Celeron in the EEE in benchmarks.

I wish they would bring the 8.9" version of it here, is it because its already crowded with the EEE 900 and HP Mini-Note?

[david @ May 13th 2008 11:37PM]

Yes, they did worse, but that was only single core ship, which was designed to handhold devices and this one has two cores inside.

[Baseer @ May 13th 2008 7:25PM]

boooooo......now I'm not so happy with my $350 4g 7inch eee pc :( I guess that's what I guess when i couldn't hold back buying it back in March.

$400 is a great price point. Way to go MSI!

[apeguero @ May 13th 2008 7:39PM]

Looks like my 5 year old will be learning SuSE Linux before Windows XP :)

[k2001 @ May 13th 2008 8:38PM]

need flash memory, even if it 4 or 8 gb.

[rbolt @ May 13th 2008 8:39PM]

But it plays DOOM!

[rBoLt @ May 13th 2008 8:58PM]

Im getting this...

[Del Hass @ May 13th 2008 9:01PM]

I am Totally getting this, Period.

I am a college student in my sixth yr. I have been looking at the eee pc like laptops. the other day, i spotted eee pc 7" in the dining area. It was cute and all, but It was too small. I'm not just talking about the screen, I'm talking about the keyboard which I am planning to use for programming or typing notes. It's a joke for me. This one, on the other side is very Enticing. I'm ofcourse gonna get the linux version and add 2GB gb ram. 1gb of ram of the xp version will get tossed anyways because of the more likely case of one slot for ram.
Don't care too much about bluetooth, and the extra battery should always be cheaper if bought alone. for the OS, I have an extra XP license available.
I also have the option since the 80gb, to install ubuntu on a separate partition. Bring on the compiz-Fusion effects to class, way to distract the cuties sitting behind me. Heck I can apply to be an MSI rep and sell these oncampus.

[gzeusmants @ May 13th 2008 11:48PM]

Nice to have dreams, like girls being impressed by what a window manager does or somehow selling things directly that aren't even in retail.

Just to note, people who don't know about the internal workings of computers are more impressed when you make the computer do something without an obvious process they are used to(ie you open emacs, comment/uncomment some lines in a dot file and re-evaluate it, or load a window layout and suddenly all the apps on your desktop are completely different, or they can't get wifi on their Mac to connect, and you fix it from a shell prompt) than pretty shiny windows. Everyone and their brother has seen CoreImage at work.
Hackers are the new architects of this generation, so flaunt your hack value, don't try to make hacking look 'cool.' Be cool while hacking. Cool is an attitude.

Sorry to rant at you(actually, I'm not, but whatever) but I see too many people in college go about everything the wrong way.

[Josh @ May 13th 2008 9:09PM]

Is it worth the xtra $150 for the just a ram and battery upgrade with xp?

[Joshua Walters @ May 13th 2008 9:13PM]

I want some reviews now!

Ive been contemplating an HP Mini-Note, but this definitely looks to have betters specs, at a lower price.

I guess we will all have to wait and see now.

[Mog @ May 13th 2008 11:47PM]

Well, I'm suddenly interested. I would love the aluminum, iMac-matching HP Mini, but this is actually better in many ways (Atom!) and cheaper. The keyboard looks better than the Eee's, if not as good as the HP Mini's. As a novelist, the keyboard is sort of important to me. :p

Forget the "base" XP edition. Make a better Linux one. I'd totally pay an extra $50 for a SuSE model with the beefier battery and gig of RAM. Then you can make the $500 XP model (equivalent to the $400 SuSE model) if you want. I just want an option to get more RAM and the better battery on the Linux model, and for a reasonable price ($500 would be pushing it).

[gzeusmants @ May 13th 2008 11:48PM]

Getting one once I can afford it.

[Sean @ May 13th 2008 11:59PM]

This thing just became astronomically more appealing to me than the Eee PC.

...maybe because it's $150 less.

Maybe.

[Bob @ May 14th 2008 12:53AM]

This little beast isn't that bad for its price tag.

[LarryLarryLarry @ May 14th 2008 2:24AM]

I'm more than a little worried about those little plastic legs underneath. They are appropriate for a desktop. This is not a desktop.

The only explanation is cooling problems, but that's not a solution. Those legs won't do anything when this computer is not on a table or uncarpeted floor. And they;re going to be a problem when packing it with books. It won't slide into a bag or against a book because those feet will snag on the way in.

I don't want to cut the feet off, insert rubber plugs from the hardware store into the holes, and then always worry about the temperature.

Sometimes the smallest details can wreck a great product.

[Adam @ May 14th 2008 4:49AM]

im pretty sure the atom is based of the core2 anyway, so its an ultra mobile low power core 2 solo chip

looks like i wont be getting the EEE now, the wind seems to be a better deal seen as you get windows with it. ill just stick a linux OS on it anyways

[Raj @ May 14th 2008 7:17AM]

I may be way behind here, but is there anything stopping MSI, ASUS, etc installing a DVD drive into their ultraportable laptops?? Is there a size issue? Because for me, that is all that is missing...

[garrows @ May 14th 2008 8:20AM]

This makes me so angry!!!
The bully tactics that microsoft has used to ensure that users who may have been thinking about trying linux since its pre-installed (since a normal user wouldnt know how to install an OS if their life depended on it), are forced not to since the linux model has such bad specs.
This isnt just anti-competitive, its OSist (the operating system equivalent of racism)!!!!

I just dont want to give microsoft money for something im going to wipe.

[BlakNinja @ May 14th 2008 10:10AM]

Will it be possible to both (dual) install WinXP and OS X on the Linux machine?

[ltjska04 @ May 14th 2008 1:32PM]

This has a matte screen right? If it's glossy like the MiniNote I'm out.

[OneLove @ May 14th 2008 1:53PM]

Why or why is anyone still offering 512MB of RAM in any configuration?

[gzeusmants @ May 14th 2008 8:46PM]

That's the equivalent of 1gig under XP or 3~4 gigs under Vista.

[Hermanator @ May 15th 2008 8:58PM]

Done deal for me once WiMax is added........

[Hermanator @ May 15th 2008 9:03PM]

I forgot, not only WiMax but I'd also like to see a GPS as part of the MSI Wind........

[SomeRandomNoob9418 @ May 15th 2008 10:35PM]

The actual article linked that this is sourced from says that the Linux and XP versions *both* have a 6-cell battery. So, it's not just the XP version (whew!). I'm looking forward to buying one of these puppies.

[Gabriel @ May 21st 2008 10:32AM]

If the Linux version indeed also has a 6-cell battery, I'm getting one. Of course, the RAM would have be to be upgraded, and I wouldn't be suprised if there's only one DIMM slot... However, memory is very cheap nowadays, so a 2 GB-stick should be affordable considering the price of the laptop. I would also like to see this machine with a SSD.

The keyboard is, as many has stated before, a very heavy factor. Especially when the laptops become this small. I'd hate having to type one this tiny board with buttons you can only hit by utilizing a tooth pick... Wind seems to have a very decent one.

I doubt I will see this being retailed in Sweden anytime soon, so I guess I will have to order it from the US once it gets released. GO MSI!

[BrokenMonkey @ Jun 2nd 2008 7:58PM]

I'd really like a version with all the hardware of XP but with Linux so it would cost less, then I can put my own XP on it if I want to.

[david @ Jun 3rd 2008 4:03AM]

How about the ECS G10IL that's the only player which is still not out, and it's price should be at around 500$. Any news than this one will be released? And I doubt that Dell would be able to bring something completely new, we already have a lot of grate options, HP, MSI, ASUS, CloudBook, ECS G10IL. But MSI Wind looks the winner with the battery, I just would like to see 9-cell battery as an option. Maybe they are able to achieve that good results because of Atom.