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Microsoft reportedly bans netbooks with hybrid storage systems, MSI's Wind U115 caught in the middle
We've never been fans of Microsoft's ability to put hard limits on netbooks with Windows XP; it's this fact alone that has kept the entire sector from moving forward in terms of specification advancement. Though, we'd probably wager that MSI is even more livid, as bit-tech has reportedly learned that the company's Wind U115 will soon be yanked from store shelves. The reason? The machine's hybrid storage system, which puts Windows XP on an SSD and allows other applications and media to be loaded on the HDD. Oddly, the netbook is still for sale on MSI's webstore, and just a few days ago we saw NEC unveil a hybrid netbook over in Japan. Please Microsoft, reconsider -- do it for love, do it for justice.Read - MSI Wind U115 on saleRead - bit-tech report
Video: MSI Wind U115 for sale in Japan, UK
MSI's Wind U115, the huggable, lovable, notable, and ultraportable hybrid SSD/HDD is now available to faithful readers in the UK and Japan. It's been spotted making the rounds on the Interwebz in the £450 - £500 (approx. $675-$750) range. A bit pricey for a 10-inch netbook, sure, but perhaps the Atom Z530 processor, 6-cell battery, and 720p video playback will make it worth your while. You have been making some irrational decisions lately -- but we'll talk about that later. Hands on video after the break.Read - MSI Wind U115 Hybrid UnboxedRead - MSI Wind U115 Hybrid now shipping in UK
Exhaustive netbook battery comparison finds a clear winner, no victims
It's hardly the first netbook battery comparison to appear in the Thunderdome that is the internet, but this latest thirteen-strong round-up from Australia's NetbookReview is one of the more comprehensive to emerge as of late, with it only slightly compromised by a few netbooks that aren't available in the site's home country. Not surprisingly, the netbooks equipped with six-cell batteries came out well ahead of their less well off counterparts, with the MSI Wind U115 Hybrid leading the way with an impressive time of 6:56. That was obviously aided in no small part by the netbook's dual SSD / hard drive setup, and by a less commonly used 5100mAh six-cell battery, as opposed to the 6600mAh version used in the second and third place Eee PCs (which each clocked in around the four-hour mark). Bringing up the rear were the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 and Dell Mini 12, neither of which were able to eek out even two hours of use. As you might expect, however, all of the tests involved a worst-case scenario, so you can expect to get a good deal more juice from all of 'em if you're not spending every waking hour watching WMV files.
MSI Wind U115 rated at 15 hours of battery life, torn apart for its trouble
MSI's never been a slouch when it comes to its Wind series, but this new U115 seems to be something else entirely. In tests done by the folks at Eee-PC.de, the laptop ranged from 5.5 hours to 15 hours of battery life, based on level of usage. Even 5.5 hours is good for continuous use, but we could imagine all sorts of happiness with 15 hours of battery -- like camping. The laptop gets some of its battery mojo from its hybrid storage system, which allows the laptop to run entirely off of its 8GB of SSD memory, with the 160GB hard drive spun down to save power. The SSD is user-replaceable, if you don't mind a little warranty voiding, and the folks at nvision have thrown caution to the wind in ripping apart their U115 for our viewing pleasure.[Via liliputing]Read - Eee-PC.deRead - nvision
MSI at CES: Wind U115 / U120, NetOn all-in-one PC, gaming laptops galore
If you thought that MSI would allow CES to pass it by without unleashing a veritable smorgasbord of new kit upon us, you're dead wrong. For starters, the company will be showcasing its Wind U115 and U120 netbooks for the first time in the public eye at CES, and those oh-so-intriguing NetOn all-in-one machines we spotted overseas will also be making their US debut. Said rigs will arrive in 16-, 19- and 22-inch flavors, and it's expected that Intel's dual-core Atom will be powering the trio. Carrying on, we've got the EX625 and EX623 entertainment lappies joining the EX family with inbuilt subwoofers and Blu-ray drives, and the GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420 will all be sliding into the gamer-centric GX line. Finally, MSI will be demonstrating its first "eco-friendly carbon fiber concept gaming notebook," so we'll definitely be sashaying over to wrap our paws around that. Head past the break for the full release.
MSI U115 Hybrid SSD / HDD netbook unleashed upon the world, could be awesome
MSI's officially launched the U115 Hybrid netbook we saw not too long ago, which can operate both SSD and HDD drives at the same time. The 10-inch (1024 x 600 resolution) laptop primarily uses the SSD, reserving the HDD for storage, and boasts an "Eco Mode" button which will temporarily disconnect the HDD to save power. The hybrid functions should provide both a faster OS and longer battery life -- but we'll wait till the test results are in to form our opinions. If you've forgotten, spec-wise the U115's got a 1.60GHz Intel Atom CPU, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, plus 8GB SSD / 80GB HDD, 16GB SSD / 120GB HDD, and 32GB SSD / 160GB HDD storage options, and a 2 megapixel webcam. No word on pricing or release date for this bad boy yet. We'll keep our eyes peeled.[Via PC Launches]
MSI plots touchscreen Wind, 13.3-inch U300 ultraportable for CES
After hints aplenty, MSI has gotten super serious about what's going to go down in January at CES 2009. As expected, there'll be a Wind U110, U115 and redesigned U120 (pictured). Those will land in the States in January, and will co-exist with the U100. MSI's also prepping a 13.3-inch U300, which won't be part of the Wind line, but will be billed as an "affordable," thin and light ultraportable -- people will be "shocked," says MSI's US Sales Director Andy Tung. Shocked. MSI also promised to bring a touchscreen Wind to the show, but has no promises on the release front.
MSI unveils a slew of new netbooks and one lonely nettop
It looks like MSI has been pretty busy lately. We got a good look at the MSI Wind U120 about a week ago, and now the company's back with a slew of new machines and we have plenty of details for you to savor. Most notably, the U115 is a 10-inch netbook featuring the Intel Atom Z530 processor, 1-2GB memory, and a hybrid SSD / hard drive storage system. The solid state drive (being smaller and theoretically faster) is meant to contain the OS while the hard drive is to be used for data. The U110 is basically the same as the U115, except it only ships with 1GB memory and there is no SSD included. Also introduced were the U150 (sadly enough with no specs, besides the fact that it also ships with both HDD and SSD storage) and the WindBox, an Atom N270-based nettop designed to be VESA-mounted to the back of your monitor. The WindBox should be available Q1 2009 for around €300. Keep reading after the break for a complete rundown of all the specs.Read - MSI WindBox RevealedRead - MSI unveils new netbooks, unusual storage systems
