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MSI readying updated Wind U123 for April release
MSI's Wind U120 has only been available for a little over a month, and already received a minor update of its own, but it looks like the company is already planning on adding a few more digits to the Wind line, with its upgraded Wind U123 apparently on track for an April release. While much will apparently remain unchanged form the U120, the U123 does get a bit of a boost from Intel's new Atom N280 processor, which has already found its way into ASUS' Eee PC 1000HE, and from a maximum 2GB of RAM, as opposed to 1GB on the U120. You'll also be able to get it in your choice of four colors, and with a six or nine cell battery if you choose. What's more, MSI's director of US sales reportedly confirmed that the company has both 11.6-inch and 12-inch netbooks "in development," and that it "can bring that out of the gate," although he unfortunately didn't go any farther than that somewhat cryptic statement."
MSI Wind NetOn AP1900 gets official photography treatment
MSI has gone official with its all-in-one Wind NetOn A1900, which looks to be the M19 we saw in November that was also at CES. The 18.5-inch desktop houses an Intel Atom N270, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 160GB SATA HDD, DVD burner, 4-in-1 card reader, 1.3 megapixel webcam, and an optional 802.11 b/g. Its display is soft-rocking a WSXGA 16:9 resolution with 5 ms response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 250 cd/m² brightness -- nothing worth writing home about. No word here on here pricing or availability, but back when it called itself the M19, it was scheduled to hit retail channels last month for five Benjamins.[Via Engadget Spanish]
MSI Wind U120 hits the review bench, short on thrills
Those obsessives over at Laptop Mag wrangled up a new MSI Wind U120 and did the review thing, and while there's plenty of good here, the wide availability of similarly specced, strongly designed netbooks throws the Wind's flaws into sharper relief. With the same internals and battery of the original, and yet oddly less battery life, the main improvement here is the more "professional" chassis design. Not a ton to get excited about, but at least the $379 pricetag has a decent edge on other higher-end (in looks, anyways) laptops of this ilk.
MSI Wind U120 gets ripped apart, examined in detail
We manged to get up close and personal with MSI's new Wind U120 at CES, but not quite as up close and personal as the folks at the folks at MSIWind.es, who managed to recently get their hands on the netbook and promptly ripped it apart. As you may be able to glimpse in the picture above, this one is actually the U120H with built-in 3G, but the differences between the two apparently stop there, with each boasting otherwise identical specs and innards. There's not too many other surprises either, as you might expect, but modders will no doubt at least be pleased to see that the system seems to be about as accessible as its predecessor. Hit up the link below for a closer look.[Thanks, Johan]
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 announces Wind NetTop D130 -- the desktop with Nordic styling
Every morning we struggle to stay awake while reading one copycat netbook announcement after another, and, now that low-end desktops seem to be finding the same popularity, we've ordered a fleet of coffee robots to keep eyes open at Engadget HQ. On the heels of unveiling its mildly interesting all-in-one Neton series, MSI has followed up with the rather more generic D130 NetTop, featuring something MSI calls "Nordic Simple Style" (which they previously just called barebones). Moving beyond appearances, the machine does seem like a decent package, sporting a mild but serviceable Atom 330 processor, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a Super-Multi DVD burner, 7.1 output, and a meager 35W power consumption when operating at "full speed." Granted, that full speed won't do much for your 3DMark scores, but an expected $240 price tag should make it a good fit for anyone in search of a simple machine for desk or home theater.[Via I4U News, image courtesy of TweakTown]
MSI Wind desktop now available in Japan, slightly less barebones than before
Remember that thrifty MSI Wind Desktop that came out here in August? A slightly meatier version -- which looks like the one that was supposed to be out in September -- is now available in Japan. The CD100-JP Nettop still lacks a hard drive, RAM and operating system, but it's now equipped with a slot-loading drive and a snazzy white finish in addition to that 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 and 11.8 x 9.5 x 2.6-inch case. It's currently selling for 26,000 yen, or about $290. Still no word on a US release -- last we heard it wasn't gonna happen, but we can't keep wishing.
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 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 Wind mod turns one trackpad button into two
The MSI Wind has certainly garnered a sizable following, but that's not to say it isn't without its share of problems, and the single, somewhat awkward trackpad button has proven to be a point of contention for many. One enterprising individual has now gone some way towards fixing that, however, with little more than a BIC pen and an Exacto knife. As you can see above, the pen supplies the springs that adds a bit more responsiveness to the now separate buttons, while the knife is used for some cutting that apparently has to be done just right. If you're looking to take things one step further, another MSI Wind forum user also recently discovered that you can order a replacement Synaptics touchpad from none other than ASUS itself which, as most Wind users are no doubt aware, is considered to be far superior to the Sentilic touchpad now included on the netbook. It apparently takes a bit of work to get it swapped in, but most anyone with a bit of modding skill should be able to handle it and, best of all, it only costs $8 (plus $5 shipping).Read - MSI Wind Forums, "DIY two-button mousepad"Read - MSI Wind Forums, "The $12 Touchpad Experiment"
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
MSI Wind U120 gets spotted, examined in the wild
We've already seen a few shots of MSI's forthcoming Wind U120 netbook, but our pals at Engadget Chinese have now taken in one of its first public appearances and, naturally, they've provided plenty of pics for folks to dive into. That includes some close-up shots of the netbook's slightly revised port situation, some comparison shots with the non-two tone U100, and even another glimpse of that 9-cell battery we've already seen floating about. MSI also had it's full-fledged Bravo EX620 laptop on display, though it's a pretty safe bet that we won't be seeing it 'round these parts anytime soon.[Thanks, Edward N]
MSI unveils Neton all-in-one nettop models ranging from mild to somewhat less mild
MSI and Asus, having apparently found the bottom in the netbook race, are now working hard to find that magic point on the desktop. Asus has its B202 and all-in-one Eee Top nettops, the latter of which MSI is now countering with the new, all-inclusive Neton series. The smallest is the M16, starting at $400 and featuring a 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 screen -- exactly the same size as Asus's impending offering (coincidence, surely). Then there's the slightly larger but otherwise identically spec'd $500 18.5-inch M19, and finally the range-topping $800 22-inch M22, offering an HD-loving 1920 x 1080 display fed by an optional Blu-ray drive. As you can see in pics after the break the guts of the M16 have been placed into an unsightly, over-sized stand, while on the M19 and M22 everything is tucked neatly behind the monitor itself, making for easy wall mounting (more room for Coke cans and miscellaneous clutter). No word on memory or disk space, but each will offer touch-screens and will come with XP or Vista depending on whether you opt for a single- or dual-core Atom processor. The M19 ships first in January, the M16 next in Feb, and the M22 last in March.
Flickr Find: FakeBook Nano
Gizmodo found these pictures of a customized MSI Wind laptop that comes complete with glossy finishes, Apple logos and Mac OS X. The laptops feature the name "MacBook Nano." The laptops have 10-inch screens, 2GB of RAM, 320GB hard disks, a flash media reader, and the specifications feature Windows XP Professional and Mac OS X 10.5.5. Gizmodo notes that they can't tell if the laptops are a custom hack, or are being illegally sold. Descriptions on the images appear to be in Chinese, so if you can let us know what they say, be so kind as to leave us a comment!
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 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]
9-Cell MSI Wind battery turns up in pictures, dreams
It looks like those DIY 9-cell Wind batteries could soon be a thing of the past, as some seemingly legit pictures of a supposedly official 9-cell battery for the netbook have now turned up on the Eee PC News website. Apparently, the pictures (more of which are available at the link below) came straight from an unnamed battery manufacturer and, yes, it's still in prototype form, which hopefully means there's still some refining to be done. There's no indication of a release date, unfortunately, but Eee PC News seems confident, for one reason or another, that the batteries could find their way into Winds as soon as November.[Via Laptop, thanks Kevin]
MSI Wind launch was delayed by ripped movies, family photos?
Here's an interesting, albeit confusing, story: we're getting word that MSI has recalled some Wind laptops running SUSE Linux, since some random oddities had snuck onto the disk image. Namely, illegal screener copies of movies and some family photos. That could explain MSI's temporary delay in shipping this thing out -- a preemptive recall -- but the when, where and what of the recall are a bit hazy, so we recommend rummaging around for the files just in case they're eating up your hard drive room or contain that one flick you were dying to watch with large "Screener copy!" signs flashing past.[Thanks, Patrick S.]
MSI digs up 6-cell battery for MSI Wind
While the MSI Wind is truly one of the most standout netbooks on the market -- something that MSI's competitors have made exceedingly easy with their complete disregard for quality -- a big gripe of early adopters has been the paltry 2 hour battery life with the standard 3-cell battery. MSI is now addressing that with its promised 6-cell, offering up a $550 SKU with the new battery onboard. It's shipping now.
MSI's 8.9-inch Wind U90 in the flesh, Linux version shipping for 339 Euro
While MSI's 8.9-inch Wind U90 first made an appearance in June at Computex, it took MSI this long to flesh out all details -- which is actually a relief, given the ridiculous quantity of Eee PC SKUs ASUS has managed to pump out in the meantime. We just got to handle the new laptop, and we think MSI might have a winner here. The laptop is shipping with SUSE Linux exclusively to start, with an XP version in the works, and boots quite rapidly to the full OS. SUSE has never looked better, and we think these two might be quite the pair. MSI has kept the full keyboard of the 10-inch Wind, and merely bumped up the bezel while cutting the price; all the other specs are the same. MSI is planning on shipping this at the end of September or beginning of October for 339 Euro (no word on a US release), and is also working on a six cell battery to fix the paltry 2 hours of battery the Wind currently gets from the three cell.%Gallery-30888%
