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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.
MSI Titan 700 mini-PC gets reviewed
We weren't exactly hot on MSI's Titan 700 mini-PC when it first hit back in May, and now that TrustedReviews has had a chance to look one over, it looks like our initial impression wasn't that far off the mark. Although the diminutive case was stylish in an industrial way, the fit and finish left something to be desired, and the DVD door is apparently rather convoluted. The machine itself, powered by a ULV 2GHz VIA C7M, is "annoyingly audible" when running, and you're not getting a ton of horsepower in return -- a 720p AVI file barely played, and a .mov at the same res brought Windows Media Player to its knees. Like we said last time, unless space is at a premium, you're probably better off investing $500 into a real PC -- even if that means you have to forgo the Darth Vader looks.
MSI Wind shipping in "3 to 5 weeks," Advent rebadge available now
Okay, so we've got hard evidence the Wind is shipping out somewhere in the world, but the latest status check on Amazon reveals that it'll be another 3 to 5 weeks before Americans can indulge. Granted, we've seen these dates slip around a bit, so hopefully it'll slide to "sooner" if anything. Interestingly enough, the Advent 4211 rebadge is shipping this very moment to customers in the UK for £279.99, though that currency conversion is apt to be a real thorn in your side when looking to import.Read - MSI Wind availability, via ComputerMonger, thanks IvanaRead - Advent 4211, thanks zeesh
MSI's Wind gets received by someone, unboxed on video
Even though the world at large is waiting on pins and needles for these Wind delays to subside, at least one lucky individual in Italy has received one. Not that you haven't already seen this netbook from every angle imaginable, but things just look entirely more fluid on video. Three minutes (2:55, to be precise) in heaven await you after the break.[Thanks, Marcello]
MSI Wind desktops to hit Europe and Asia in September
It looks like MSI's taking another page from ASUS's Eee playbook -- the Wind netbook is getting a desktop sibling. MSI was actually showing off the Atom-based minitower at Computex last month, and while final specs and pricing aren't official, it sounds like the machine will include Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB drive, DVD drive, and WiFi for somewhere between $200 and $300 when it goes on sale sometime in September -- but you'll have to be in Europe or Asia to snag one, as MSI says they won't make it to the US. That's a shame, as the power-sipping machine is pretty intriguing: the 1.6GHz system at Computex was able to play back 720p video using just 30 watts of power -- compared to 242 watts for a normal PC. (MSI says the Wind desktop isn't quite capable of 1080p playback yet, but it hinted that future versions will get there.) Hopefully MSI will have a change of heart between now and September.Read - Hands-on with the MSI Wind desktopRead - Infoworld article with estimated specs and pricing
MSI Wind, delayed again?
It's June 27th, but instead of a 10-inch MSI Wind NB unboxing we're hearing that at least one pre-order customer is being greeted with another delay. Reason? An "industry wide battery shortage." Come now MSI, we guess you missed that giant fireball-of-a-signal to look elsewhere for your inventory back in March? At least MSI is tossing in free overnight delivery with the new July 7th ship date. Hoozah, drinks are on Fred! Full MSI notification posted after the break.P.S. The MSI Wind NB retail page is currently blank. Time will tell if this is a deeper issue or just a temporary administration error.[Thanks, Fred H.]
MSI Wind gets its FCC on
We've been wondering where the MSI Wind's been hiding, and it turns out it's been kicking back with Uncle Sam -- the 10-inch netbook just popped up in the FCC. Nothing here we didn't know, really, but if you're into shots of the internals or those oh-so-riveting RF reports, nirvana awaits you at the read link.[Via jkkmobile]
MSI Wind Atom-based laptops delayed again
For those of you looking to get your hands on one of MSI's new Atom-based Wind laptops, you're going to need to wait a bit longer. We expected the machines to start shipping already, but a big pink "Estimated Ship Date: Friday, June 27" at MSI's online fulfillment site has shattered our dreams all the way to, at the earliest, the end of June with our hands on the machines in early July at best. We'll keep our eyes on what appear to be an endless stream of tacked-on delays. MSI, you tease us so!Update: So it looks like the delayed machine will ship with a 3-cell (instead of 6-cell) battery due to shortages. To be fair, the price is a somewhat reduced $479.[Via thegadgetsite]
8.9-inch MSI Wind shows up at Computex
We had heard that MSI planned to offer up an 8.9-inch Wind in overseas markets in addition to the 10-inch model we're getting 'round here, but we haven't actually been able to get a look at it until our crack team from Engadget Chinese hit up Computex and got up close and personal with one of 'em. Dubbed the Wind U90, this one is apparently identical to the now-familiar 10-inch model in every respect except for the screen (no word on the resolution) which, as you can see above, is accommodated by an extra-wide bezel instead of an all around smaller laptop. No word on a price, but you can look for this one to launch alongside or slightly after the 10-inch U100 model "towards the end of June."[Thanks, Ax]
MSI Wind benchmarked and reviewed: now official alternative to Eee PC
Here's the moment many of you Eee-wannabees have been waiting for, the official announcement of the 10-inch, 1,204 x 600 LED-backlit MSI Wind. No surprises here on the leakiest of all netbooks. Still, when you consider that your $399 buys you a Linux-based system riding atop Intel's 1.6GHz Atom processor, an 80GB 2.5-inch disk, 5.5-hour rated battery, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g WiFi, it makes the $625 price of the Eee PC 1000(H) pretty tough to justify. Unless 802.11n and that beefier battery really do it for you. If the price doesn't sway you then how about a review? Laptop magazine just published their thoughts on the $499 XP model and gave it their "editor's choice" award calling the Wind "the best all-around mini-notebook to date." Now the bad news: the XP Wind ships June 16th while the el-cheapo Linux version won't ship until later this summer. Full press release and specs posted after the break.Read -- Benchmarks and picturesRead -- Review
MSI Wind gets terse pre-release review
It's pretty tough to wrap your melon around, but MSI's Wind has not yet officially launched per se. That being said, it has still managed to end up in the hands of quite a few eager subnote lovers, and Laptop Mag is no exception. Shortly after the UK branch of CNET posted up their initial impressions, along comes yet another mini-review to get you even more worked up about June 3rd. Here's the skinny so far: the screen is amazing, keyboard is as well, the trackpad is simply too cramped and the port assortment is very respectable. All in all, critics were left "seriously impressed," and they even threw together a video and image gallery for checking out afterwards. Head on over, alright?
MSI's MS-5654 GPS unit finds the FCC
MSI's been making a lot of noise with the Wind lately, but we'd heard the company was going to be bringing personal navigators and PMPs to the US back at CES, and it looks like the first one has hit the FCC -- say hello to the MS-5654. As always, the gov's photographers don't exactly bring out the inner beauty of the device, but there's enough to see that the unit features a 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen, a 372MHz Centrality processor running Windows CE 5.0, 1GB or 2GB of internal storage with SD expansion, and the usual basic PMP features. Of course, there's no pricing or availability info, but if you're into detailed RF reports, heaven is just beyond the read link. [Thanks, jkkmobile]
MSI Wind gets detailed further
With just days remaining before MSI's Wind becomes available in the US, wouldn't you like to know as much as humanly possible now to better form your potential purchasing decision? Great, we had a feeling you would. According to CNET's UK branch, MSI's promising subnote will ship with 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, a trio of USB ports, 4-in-1 multicard reader, VGA output and a 3-cell battery that will theoretically provide 3- to 4-hours of life. You'll also find a 10-inch 1,024 x 600 resolution panel, and just like the TurboBook GX600, a dedicated button to activate TurboDrive and overclock the CPU by "about 20-percent" (wait, what?). Check out the read link for all the gory details.[Thanks, T.I.]
Intel Atom 330 coming Q3, more details come to light
If you've been keeping up on the launch of Intel's dual-core Atom 330 processor, we have a couple little extra nubbins for you to chew on this evening. We already know that the Atom 330 will clock in at 1.6GHz, but that 1MB of cache will be split amongst the two processors. Additionally, we're looking at a 533MHz FSB, 64-bit processing (no real surprise there), and a peak TDP of only 8W, which should be just perfect for those mini PC's that rely on passive cooling. Look for a release in Q3 of 2008, most likely packed inside those Wind PCs.
MSI's new NVIDIA 9600GT card includes "turbo" button for overclocking
Whatever you do, don't push the red button. MSI has pimped out its new GeForce 9600 GT Diamond graphics card with dual DVI, dual HDMI, optical audio and a shiny red button. The button bumps the clock speed of the graphics core and the memory, as well as increasing voltage to world-destroying levels. Unfortunately you'll have to reach around the back of your dusty machine to click it, but we're sure 30 minutes and a soldering iron can re-route the button to this little doomsday-inspired puppy.
MSI Wind desktops and laptops exposed and fondled, Atom seen by all
MSI has been teasing us with its Atom-based laptops and desktops for some time now, so it's only right that they finally give it up and let some journalist rip open a Wind for some straight-up circuit porn. Confirmed on the board are the aforementioned Atom 230 processor, 1GB DDR2-533 RAM, a 160GB SATA drive, gigabit ethernet, a DVD combo drive, 65-watt power supply, and passive cooling with that gargantuan heatsink. As for performance, testers say the machine was capable of playing 720P video without much ado, but wouldn't deal with 1080P. On the laptop side of things, it looks as though the U100 will come in a whole rainbow of colors beyond the red, black, white, and pink we've already seen. Nothing new on that side other than the usual "is it still $399?"Read - Up close with MSI desktop in TaipeiRead - Extreme closeup with MSI Wind notebooks
Secrets of the Atom cracked, Wind PC revealed
Everyone wants a new generation ultra-portable pumping the Atom processor right? After all, it's Intel's latest and greatest Centrino proc. Not so fast... literally. Impress got their hands on an unofficially released MSI Wind PC (the mini-PC, not the low-cost laptop) and subjected the 1.33GHz Atom processor to a suite of standard tests. While the source is in machine-translated Japanese, that table comparing the Atom with Eee PC 900's Celeron and a typical ULV Core 2 Duo found in a wide range of full-sized, ultra-portable laptops speaks for itself. Keep in mind though that Intel's Atom is supposed to be less power hungry than its peers and CPU benchmarking is hardly the last word when it comes to determining real-world laptop performance -- read/writes to disk, memory, and other system nuances must also be considered. Nevertheless, based on this table and other mounting evidence, first and second generation Eee PC owners shouldn't feel any compulsion to rush out and upgrade to Atom on day 1.[Via Technophone and Notebook Italia]
ASUS and MSI have some 'splaining to do
Man, Mr. Orange Beanie sure does have quite a bit of cash to be burning on subnotebooks. You earn that mowing lawns, kid? Ah, we get it, a little bit of modeling on the side, huh? Don't worry, we won't tell anyone. Apparently ASUS and MSI have been caught red handed using the same photograph to peddle their wares. The best part of all is that neither shot is original -- they both swiped a stock photo featuring our friend Orange here with a good ol' MacBook. Don't worry though, we're sure he installed Linux on it first thing. Original pic is after the break.
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?
MSI Titan 700 mini-PC gets announced
MSI's been making some noise with the Wind lately, but the company is still busy turning out solid-but-uninspiring PCs as well, like the new Titan 700. The mini-ITX PC features a VIA CN700 processor at 2.0GHz, 1GB of RAM, dual-layer burner, and a 120GB 2.5-inch drive, all in a 2.7 x 7.2 x 9.5-inch package with Gigabit Ethernet and 4 USB ports. The only thing you won't be getting for your £234 ($458) is an OS -- you'll have to supply your own. Of course, for $500 you can probably get a slightly-larger computer with much more powerful processor and an actual OS, so unless you're somehow taken with the Titan's industrial-chic case, you're probably not too sad that this thing hasn't been announced outside of the UK yet.[Via TrustedReviews]
