MSI Wind 9-cell spotted in the wild

Remember those delectable photos of the supposedly official 9-cell MSI Wind batteries we saw a few weeks ago? The ones we were told to expect in November? Well, only two days in and November's apparently brought some of us something besides that rain we're always hearing about: at least a few lucky Brits seem to have scored an MSI-sanctioned 9-cell for £70 (about $115) on the UK's eBay. Photos of the battery submitted to the MSI Wind Forum show it to be totally gargantuan, but the juice times customers are reporting -- 7.34 hours by one account -- are impressive if accurate. We'll give them this: it's definitely handsomer than the DIY version.

Update: As some commenters have pointed out, it looks like this battery is manufactured by Medion, who also happen to produce a clone of the Wind.

[Via Wired]

[chefgon_ign @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:02AM]

Hideous.

[Patriks7 @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:12PM]

I totally agree.. they should have either made the battery somehow spread over the bottom or make it stuck out of the back.. why down? :\

[MioTheGreat @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:36PM]

Actually, it works out pretty well when you're using it. My laptop's bigger cell does it, and it angles the keyboard up slightly.

[Patriks7 @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:23PM]

@MioTheGreat

The point here is that it's not as easy to put it into a bag anymore..

[Jon Doe. @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:15PM]

I wonder if we can ID the Mac user in this thread. Who gives a shit if it looks ugly. 7 damn hours. End of store.

[scootypuffsr @ Nov 6th 2008 10:24PM]

@Patriks7:

protip: take out battery before putting into bag

[Alex @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:03AM]

It kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? If it's so big and heavy that it is barely portable anymore, why not just leave it plugged in at home?

[Pretol @ Nov 3rd 2008 3:09PM]

BIG AND HEAVY? You're kidding...

Yes it's ugly tumor on the bottom side of a netbook, but the combo is still MUCH lighter/smaller than a laptop.

If you prep a regular laptop for trans-atlantic flight, you'll need an even bigger laptop.

You're compareing apples to oranges, and you're being overly dramatic about the size.

[Skazer @ Nov 8th 2008 3:41PM]

It's still a 10" notebook. Before the Asus Eee came out, people were clamoring over the ability to get a 13" notebook for less than $1000.

[Ian @ Nov 4th 2008 12:03AM]

The battery's shape changes the overall shape of the laptop to make it less portable. The batter juts out the bottom, making it more difficult to pack. You'd still need a pretty thick section of your backpack or bag to carry it around.

I'd rather have a laptop that's 0.2" or 0.3" all around, then that battery. It's completely obtrusive.

[Ray @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:03AM]

lmao!

[iEye @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:04AM]

Yea, at that price only a tool would buy it.

I'm sure I will soon be able to find one for ~$40 on various "Extreme Deal" web sites...

[Eddie @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:04AM]

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge.
hehehe.

[Ziyaad @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:47AM]

That's what she said.

[King Mustard @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:50AM]

Zing!

[nik @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:09AM]

That is extreme. I don't think any keyboard is meant to be at that great a slant. How is one supposed to type on that?

[Jacob @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:17AM]

on the contrary, usually a keyboard slant improves the typing experience, I know because typing is much more natural with my m1330 and the 9 cell battery (which is at a slant) than without

[iEye @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:28AM]

A simple solution is to install some DIY legs on the front...

a simpler solution is just to get a Mac Air...

[jproach @ Nov 5th 2008 12:51AM]

Jacob, I hope you enjoy your CPS..

[y3k.nik @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:12AM]

Is that a giant battery that is going to last 8 hours tonight... or are you just happy to see me?

[chefgon_ign @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:12AM]

At what point do you finally admit that you're better off buying a real notebook?

[huh @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:40AM]

Which "real notebook" gets over 7 hours battery life, weighs less than 4 lbs, and costs around $500?

[Chin-Poh @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:12AM]

Is this another of the 3rd party batteries becoming common for netbooks or an actual MSI official battery?

[PK @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:17AM]

It's a third party battery.

[htd @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:18AM]

it looks just like that DIY one, only better wrapped.

[Diesel @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:19AM]

Oh good, now I don't have to buy that handy laptop stand, it's built in! Can anybody say "typewriter height"?

Thank god for thin, portable computers! the netbooks have arrived!

[Valicore @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:27AM]

LOL. Now, my HP has the battery design where it slants it up a little and I actually kinda like that. This battery however is bordering on impractical at best. Who types like that?

[digitallysick @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:31AM]

It wouldnt be so bad if it would just stick out the back, instead of being raised up. I dont want my netbook tilted at an angle when i type

[coffee @ Nov 3rd 2008 2:15PM]

If it went out the back, people would complain that it didn't fit into their bag, or it's "hideous" or whatever every single post on here is saying.

What they want is a 9-cell battery in a 3-cell battery package, which is impossible. So it's either out the back, or below.

MSI's 12" notebooks have always had an extended battery that raises the notebook, this is no surprise. But on a smaller notebook, the battery is obviously going to stick out more, with less space to use horizontally.

[Snow Leopard @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:34AM]

Wow. How incredibly hideous. I guess it just completes the ensemble though. An ugly battery to go with an equally ugly OS: Namely Vista. *Shudders*

[sockatume @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:37AM]

They run XP or Linux.

[Sharppay @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:53AM]

The wind doesn't come with Vista, it comes with XP! You should not make negative comments about a computer you don't have.

[Chin-Poh @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:16PM]

Just goes to show how ignorant Apple fanboys are. XD

[tom @ Nov 4th 2008 10:31AM]

You can also install osx on it. That should get your juices flowing...

[MyHeadisFed @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:35AM]

Double's as night stick.

[MyHeadisFed @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:35AM]

minus the apostrophe.

[Liam @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:42AM]

Surely a few extra batteries/finding somewhere to charge up, is better than having that thing hanging off the back of your (otherwise) svelte netbook?

[sockatume @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:42AM]

Uh, these aren't firstparty or "MSI-sanctioned". I don't think that the old "leak" suggested they were either. They're just a good deal less likely to explode than the home-made ones were.

[Ayman @ Nov 3rd 2008 11:53AM]

High Heals in Laptops ... I like it ... makes the Butt look slimmer

[Alex @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:50PM]

Bahahahaha!!!!

[paul-engadget @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:09PM]

the battery also probably improves ventilation as well by increasing the clearance above the work surface.

[sockatume @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:55PM]

It wasn't manufactured by Medion either. It's a third-party battery, made by some off-brand outfit. It doesn't say Medion anywhere on it.

[Pretol @ Nov 3rd 2008 3:04PM]

On a different note. A 12 cell is available for eee 901/1000 for 75 bucks on ebay. That's one of very few things that eeePC has in comparison to competitors: accessories.

[Ayman @ Nov 3rd 2008 3:13PM]

2 question
Is it a Sony battery?
and how wide is the bomb explosion radius ?

:P kidding

[MikeWard1701 @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:39PM]

Normally I like a big bulge. But I think I'll give that one a miss.

Especially when there's the Samsung NC10 which looks a hell of a lot better and lasts almost as long.

[MikeWard1701 @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:42PM]

I honestly don't see why more laptop/netbook makers don't do what tablet PC makers do. Spread the extended battery across the bottom of the laptop (aka Battery slice/slate), you just need to remap the ventilation.

[Ian @ Nov 4th 2008 12:04AM]

The battery's shape changes the overall shape of the laptop to make it less portable. The batter juts out the bottom, making it more difficult to pack. You'd still need a pretty thick section of your backpack or bag to carry it around.

I'd rather have a laptop that's 0.2" or 0.3" all around, then that battery. It's completely obtrusive.
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Ray

[norfolk.enchance @ Nov 6th 2008 7:24AM]

All,
Well thats my battery and Medion E1210 oh and coffee table too. The battery is great, yes its large, but thats what I need. I have always wanted a small compact functional notebook that is cheap (£279) and transportable. The battery was bought off ebay and is not labelled as a Medion.

It providedes me with what I want and for a price I wanted to pay. After all its down to your own choice.

Regards