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SanDisk outs faster U100 and i100 SSDs for ultra-portables and tablets, we go hands-on
SanDisk has been pumping out press releases all day thanks to Computex-mania, so we shuffled past its stall to see what all the fuss is about. The biggest news is the U100 range of tiny SSDs for ultraportables, which crank data in and out at twice the speed of SanDisk's previous generation P4 drives. We're talking 450MB/s reads and 340MB/s writes thanks to the latest SATA III interface, plus a max capacity of 256GB -- specs which have already enticed ASUS to use the U100 in its lightweight UX-series notebooks. Mass production is expected in Q3 of this year. Specs table and triple-shot of PR coming up after the break, plus a gallery showing size comparisons of the U100 SSD in its glorious mSATA and Mini mSATA varieties, stacked up against some common objects like a 2.5-inch SSD drive, an HP Veer, and a vaguely goth bracelet. Meanwhile, SanDisk hasn't forgotten about our desperate need for faster tablets. The company has doubled the speed of its existing iNAND embedded flash modules, and is also releasing a brand new SATA III drive, the i100, specifically for this form factor. The i100 maxes out at 128GB and achieves a significantly slower write speed (160MB/s) than the U100, but it has same impressive read speed (450MB/s) -- which should mean nippier tablets in the not-too-distant future. %Gallery-124851%
Iriver teases out U100, P100, and D2000 portable media players
Looks like there are more colorful PMPs on the way from Iriver. All we have right now from the company is a teaser video (in Korean, no less) and a few model names: U100, P100, and D2000, to be exact. Hopefully this will tide you over until next year when the things are ready to hit the street. Hit the source link to feel the love (as well as some very moving piano music).
Wind U100 magically modded into tablet-thing, iPad UI along for the ride
Are you desperate for an iPad-like device, short on cash, and long on the desire to completely jack up your netbook? Well you're in luck, friend, as the proprietor of MSI Wind fansite Insanely Wind has crafted a device which may satiate your tablety desires. By taking a U100, removing the keyboard, relocating a touchscreen display to the bottom half of the unit, and doing some simple rewiring, user alexbates has fashioned a tablet which he says bests a device like the iPad or JooJoo with "10 times the storage, twice the speed, external video (VGA), webcam, USB ports, and built-in multi card reader." Of course, as you can tell by the photos, this mod has a ways to go before it's got the fit and finish of the aforementioned devices, and you'll have rev up a compatible, hackintosh build of OS X to make it appropriately Apple-ish -- but it can clearly be done. While this isn't the first time we've seen this type of modification, it's nice to see the love spreading to various devices (and done in a fashion that doesn't seem overly complicated). From the sounds of things, this project hasn't hit its zenith yet, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for a more complete variation of the Windlet (our name). For now, hit the read link and keep up with the unfolding saga. [Thanks, MistaBishi]
MSI debuts Atom N280-equipped Wind U100 PLUS netbook
Frankly, we're beginning to wonder just how many iterations of the Wind U100 MSI can dish out before it's forced by riots and a bombardment of Molotov cocktails to come forward with a completely revamped Wind netbook. At any rate, today the company has just unveiled its U100 PLUS, a familiar looking fellow with a 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor, a hamstrung 945GMS chipset, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics, up to 2GB of DDR2-533 RAM, a 10-inch LCD (1,024 x 600), 160GB hard drive, 4-in-1 multicard reader, VGA output, three USB 2.0 sockets, an optional 6-cell battery (3-cell is standard), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. Crazily enough, MSI asserts that users can see upwards of 7 hours of use with the standard battery, which is easily one of the most unbelievable statements we've heard in the past 4.32 hours. Per usual, pricing and availability will come in due time.[Via iTech News]
MSI Wind U100 Valentine Edition: geek romance, exemplified
Oh sure, there's all manners of garb and chocolates that you could get your lover this Valentine's Day, but the true geek knows just how hard it is to pick up those all-too-clichéd items when it's a gadget you're really after. Enter MSI, who has just delivered the appropriately named Valentine Edition of its Wind U100 netbook just in time for that special holiday. If you'll recall, this isn't the first time MSI has outed a minuscule laptop oozing with romance, but this one boasts a limited edition label (figuratively, at least), a 6-cell battery, 160GB hard drive and a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor. You can purchase 2.6 pounds of lovey-dovey right now for $429.99, but you better act fast -- no lady worth having will accept the "my UPS guy didn't come through" excuse. The full release is after the break.
MSI's upgraded Wind U100 gets tested and overclocked
While the original Wind U100 has stooped below $350 in many shops, the upgraded version -- complete with a 160GB hard drive and a much needed 6-cell battery -- is currently going for around $420. The PC abusers over at HotHardware managed to get this slab onto their testing bench, and test they did. After applying the recently released v1.09 BIOS, which enables press-of-a-button overclocking, they found that it worked remarkably well. In fact, they noted that this feature alone placed the Wind a step above its rivals for those who appreciate even minor increases in speed. They even went so far as to benchmark the OC'd machine against a standard U100 and a few other competitors, but we won't ruin the surprise by blurting out the results here. Have a gander at the read link for more, but don't blame us if you come away with an unexpected urge to buy a netbook.
Realtek employees leak OS X WiFi drivers for the MSI U100 Wind
Although not officially posted on its website (yet), Realtek has reportedly been sending out an OS X driver for its RTL8187SE wireless card found in MSI's U100 Wind. Various posters at the MSI Wind forums say they were sent the driver from Realtek employees after contacting the company, which invariably led to the drivers being uploaded to RapidShare for everyone to grab. Apparently the card isn't recognized as an Airport device, and forum users are suggesting to instead get the Real WLAN Client Utility. Supposedly, Realtek employees stated (via email) that the driver would be released before December 15, though according to some posters, the company has already missed a November date -- so if you want the driver now, your best bet is to start scavenging the forums.[Via GottaBeMobile]
MSI's 10-inch Wind U100 falls to $349 at Best Buy
In an apparent effort to move every last unit before ASUS drops a $200 Eee PC in 2009, Best Buy has knocked $50 off of MSI's 10-inch Wind U100. The Atom N270-powered netbook now checks in at just $349, a price that just seems to fit so much better with the term "netbook" than, say, $500+. The real question, however, is: three fifty low enough for you?[Via Wired]
MSI Wind v1.09 BIOS update makes overclocking easy
We've long since known that MSI was a fan of overclocking. After all, just about every last one of its gaming notebooks come with one-button OC'ing courtesy of the Turbo Drive Engine technology. Now, it seems that the company is giving the spoils once reserved for the Crysis crowd to those with netbooks, or more specifically, the Wind. The freshly released (and absolutely official) v1.09 BIOS update enables simple overclocking by mashing Fn+F10, giving users the ability to push things 8%, 15% or 24% beyond their normally specified limits. Electric Feel over at ElectricVagabond has found that the update provides up to a 30% boost in performance, which he claims is quite noticeable in processor-intensive apps like Photoshop. You know you're dying to give your Wind a little lift, so hit the via below for the step-by-step of getting this installed.
MSI Wind U100 coming to "major retailer," Wind 2 coming this quarter
Slowly but surely, MSI is following in the laughable footsteps of ASUS. At first, the Wind was simply the Wind. Now, we've a smattering of variants to keep up with, and according to a recent interview with director of US sales Andy Tung, that trend isn't about to stop. Starting next week, the Wind U100 will be available at an undisclosed "large national retailer," with the 3-cell / WinXP version going for $399. Additionally, Tung gave us all a reason to hold off on making that very purchase by revealing that the business-minded Wind U120 (or Wind 2, as he called it) will be landing on US soil in late November or early December. Said machine will boast "a whole new look," new HDD / SSD options and inbuilt 3.5G WWAN connectivity for under $600. Also of note, MSI's internal research has found that Linux-infused netbooks get returned four times as often as units with Windows XP; we can't say we're shocked that people don't feel like learning a new OS, but we're deeply, deeply saddened that reading comprehension levels (particularly on specification labels) in this nation are so obviously low.
MSI Wind gets reviewed
Hey USers -- we know where all those "delayed" Winds are. Just take a look across the pond. bit-tech managed to wrap their paws around a retail unit of MSI's Eee PC fighter, and while early reviews sang a lovely song, this one was just a bit flatter. All in all, reviewers found the machine to be useful and totally practical, but it was glaringly obvious that they were none too pleased about MSI jacking up the price of its own machine while the completely identical (save for branding) Advent 4211 was selling for less. If you're listening to these guys / gals, you'll gloss right over the Wind and nab yourself a rebadge, but whichever edition you end up getting, it's sure to be "great" in the grand scheme of things. Check the read link for the full spill.
Hands-on with the Samsung SGH-U100 Ultra Edition II
A heck of a lot of phones pass through our grubby hands in the course of an average week, so it usually takes something of a minor miracle to get a rise out of us with a new handset. Well, Samsung, ya did it -- your crazy U100 is positively the most ridiculous feat of phone manufacturing we've seen to date. It's hard to accurately express with words or even pictures just how thin this thing feels in the hand. Whether that's a good thing, well... we reckon that's a matter of personal taste, but needless to say, we don't think this one would survive even a single smashing or bending unscathed (as one observer astutely noted, "this is a purse phone, not a pocket phone"). Despite its minimal girth, the Ultra Edition 5.9 sacrifices virtually nothing, offering A2DP, 80MB of onboard storage (no expansion slot, sadly), a 3.2 megapixel cam, and even TV out. The tri-band radio is a bit of a bummer, but we still found ourselves rocking out with four or five bars of signal strength virtually everywhere we went. Color us impressed!A special thanks goes out to Wireless Imports for the hookup on this one!%Gallery-5026%
Hands-on with Samsung's Ultra Edition II 12.1, 10.9, and 5.9
We caught Samsung showing off their new Ultra Editions today at 3GSM, too; as we expected, the 12.1 (U700), 10.9 (U600), and 5.9 (U100) were there and sleek as hell. Did we mention we also got a shot of the F700 in there? Because we did. Unfortunately, it was behind a glass case. Ok, well, Samsung was smart about that, we might have made off with it if it wasn't under lock and key. Gallery: Hands-on with Samsung's Ultra Edition II 12.1, 10.9, and 5.9
Samsung's Ultra Edition II series loosed at 3GSM: U300, U600, U100, and U700
What better way to kick off 3GSM than with a shotgun blast of second generation Samsung Ultra Editions. Don't worry, it won't hurt... much, these are Ultra IIs which means they're ultra slim. All the phones start with tri-band GSM, Bluetooth, and that new 3 megapixel shooter we've been expecting. The thinster of the bunch is of course the "world's thinnest" 5.9-mm U100 candybar we've already seen. Next up is 9.6-mm U300 clamshell which packs a 2.2-inch, 240 x 320 TFT internal display (98 x 16 OLED external) and 70MB of on-board storage. Bumping things up by a millimeter comes what Samsung calls the "crown jewel" of the pack, the 10.9-mm U600 slider (pictured second from the left). It ships in sapphire blue, garnet red, platinum metal and copper gold. Get it, "crown jewel!" Uh hem. The U600 comes brandishing a fourth band, a 3.1 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch 240 x 320 TFT display, Bluetooth 2.0, and 60MB of on-board storage with microSD expansion. Last up is the 12.1-mm U700 3G slider (far right) whose biggest claim to fame is 3.6Mbps HSDPA data and microSD expansion. All are expected to hit Europe before March with some hope of that quad-band U600 coming Stateside.%Gallery-1582%
