x-slim
Latest
MSI X-Slim X340 gets reviewed, loved on - despite the 'flexy' keyboard
We've had our eyes on MSI's answer to the MacBook Air (yeah, we said it!) for a while now -- and that includes a shady, late night hands-on photo session live from the Neville Island Motel and a horrifying back-alley vivisection, to boot. Now it looks like the crazy kids at Laptop are dead set on having their say on the X340 13.4-inch ultra-portable -- and why not? The more the merrier! According to the reviewer, what this character lacks in processing power, it more than makes up for in price, weight, and battery life -- at 2.9 pounds the device is certainly lighter than the Air, and its over three hours on a single charge are none too shabby. Even the 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo processor (coupled here with 2GB memory and running Windows Vista) is characterized as "snappy." Sadly, the keyboard is said to be flimsy and graphic performance pretty weak -- but still, at $899 (price as reviewed) this is sure to be right up some of your proverbial alleys. Interested? Hit that read link for all the gory details.
MSI X320 ultralight escapes its box
We've already spent some time ogling over the MSI X-Slim X320 in person, but the ultrathin laptop is starting to ship out in Europe, and these are the first unboxing photos we've come across. Sadly it looks like retail units will be festooned with an nasty array of stickers across the palm rest, but overall it looks like MSI's pulled off a nice little riff on the MacBook Air theme. Full set of pics at the read link.[Thanks, Jens]
MSI readying 14-inch X-Slim X400 laptop
Ruh roh -- looks like MSI's about to pull an ASUS. While the introduction of a few good X-Slim laptops is find and dandy, we're already starting to lose count of 'em. Aside from the X320, X340 and X600, the outfit is apparently readying a 14-inch variant that will be tagged X400. The news was outed at a company event over in Japan this weekend, and while details outside of the diagonal screen size were short, we can probably expect it to hum along on a CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) chipset and be just as sexy as its more diminutive counterparts. If we were betting folks, we'd probably expect an official specifications sheet to hit just in time for Computex. Right, MSI?
MSI X-Slim X340 gets dissected
They're still pretty hard to come by 'round these parts, but it looks like the folks at UMPC Fever have managed to track down one of MSI's shiny new X-Slim X340 ultraportables and, like any good citizen of the internet, they've promptly gone and ripped it apart. As you might expect, there aren't exactly a ton of surprises, but it looks like anyone hoping to do a quick and easy 3G upgrade is out of luck, unless, as SlashGear points out, they're willing to ditch the built-in WiFi to free up a PCI-E slot. Hit up the read link below for the complete, not always pretty breakdown.[Via Slash Gear]
MSI's X-Slim X340 CULV thin and light bait and switch?
Uh, MSI. The $1,100 price tag you're showing for the X-Slim X340 CULV-based thin-and-light laptop on your retail site is not "under $1,000" as you promised three weeks ago. Then again, maybe you'll slip in a lesser spec'd model by the time the "Out of stock" badge changes to "Shipping?" Know this MSI, we're watching you.[Thanks, Andrew R.]
MSI's CULV-packin' X-Slim X340 ships this month in US
MSI already told us that its ultraslim, super-sexy, WiMAX-ready X-Slim X340 would be starting at right around $1,000, and now we're being told that the planet's first laptop to be based on Intel's CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) platform will be shipping in April. As in, this month. For the forgetful souls in the crowd, this here ultraportable will ship with an SU3500 CULV processor that consumes just 5.5 watts of power and a 4-cell battery. Now, to find a retailer 'round these parts willing to let you pre-order one...
MSI X-Slim X340 photographed, benchmarked in mysterious hotel room
We've seen plenty of photos of MSI's X-Slim X340 floating around as of late -- but these ones -- which were taken in a Las Vegas hotel room at CTIA, are pretty interesting, artistically speaking. More interesting, however, is the fact that the lucky chap from Laptop Magazine also did a little preliminary benchmarking of the laptop as well. He found the display to be quite satisfactory for viewing videos from any angle, though the speakers (housed on the bottom of the system) produced disappointingly weak sound, and that performance-wise, the CULV CPU is speedy enough to run Windows Vista without any hitches. Applications also loaded quickly, and things like multiple browser tabs didn't strain the system either. They're planning on running the full battery of benchmarks at a later date, but hit up the read link for further impressions. Also, there's one more snap after the break.[Via Slashgear]
MSI X-Slim X340 gets showcased on video
Yeah, you've already seen MSI's X-Slim X340 -- which was heavily detailed earlier this morning -- slip out of a white interoffice envelope, but we promise that this video is both more informative and less annoying to the ears. 'Course, it all makes much more sense if you're a native speaker of German, but even if you have absolutely no clue what's being said, we're sure you'll dig the visuals. Per usual, the play button is just past the break.[Thanks, Jeff]
MSI outs full specs of X-Slim X320 / X340 and Wind U123
While MSI has been teasing its Wind U123 and X-Slim X320 / X340 laptops for a little while now, we've yet to see the full specifications for each rig laid out. Until now, of course. Over at CTIA in Vegas, the company is revealing all the dirty details about what makes these May-bound rigs tick, and we're pleased as punch to see a few unexpected inclusions. As for the 10.2-inch U123, you'll find a 1.66GHz Atom N280 CPU, integrated WWAN and even a built-in TV tuner. As for the X-Slim X340 (starting around $1,000), it's amongst the first to feature Intel's newfangled CULV platform, which sucks down one-sixth the power of a regular mobile CPU. The X320 (starting at $700) gets gifted with a less exciting 1.6GHz Atom Z530, but the optional 3G / WiMAX module definitely makes it altogether enticing for those scouting a continually connected ultraportable. Head on past the break for the full hardware breakdown.
Video: MSI X-Slim X340 emerges from office envelope
We've already seen Lenovo take a swipe at Apple's genius idea to shove its slimmest laptop into an interoffice envelope, and now we're seeing the same type of setup with MSI's X-Slim X340. Thankfully, it appears that MSI itself didn't put the crew at NewGadgets up to the task, and if it did, it should be downright appalled and ashamed by the inexplicable choice of music. In fact, why does an un-enveloping need a background track in the first place? Hit the play button above for a quick laugh, but for all things pure and holy, mute the speakers first.
MSI X-Slim X320, X340 and GT725 hands-on
We knew MSI's newest X-Slim laptops were ultrathin, but it wasn't until we saw 'em in person here at CeBIT that we truly appreciated the design. These are definitely amongst the sexiest laptops we've seen in some time, though it only took a moment for fingerprints to begin marring the previously flawless glossy top. Both were appropriately sturdy and remarkably lightweight, and if these are any sign of where MSI is going with its styling, we can't wait for the future. On that note, we should also mention that we stumbled upon the absolutely gigantic GT725. Granted, that machine is aimed squarely at the gaming crowd, but it just looked unnatural after toying with its fitness-minded siblings just seconds earlier. We went a little crazy with the camera, but feel free to only peek the thumbnails you like.%Gallery-46388%
MSI X-Slim X320 and X340 coming in April
Hint of déjà vu notwithstanding, we're pretty stoked to hear MSI''s ultra-thin X-Slim laptops, the 13.4-inch X320 and X340, are making their way to the retail channels this April. The X320 is sporting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, while the Intel CULV-equipped X340 will be available in two configurations: a 1.2GHz Celeron M 723 and a 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500. MSI's Director of U.S. Sales Andy Tung says he expects the trio to run for around $700, $750, and $999, respectively. If that's not enough, two more X340 models are coming in May, in 1.3GHz Core 2 Solo SU2700 and a Core 2 Solo SU9600 options. No word on the 15.6-inch widescreen X600 model, but we're hoping to see it sooner rather than later.
MSI X-Slim X340 hands-on
Engadget Chinese managed to score some face time with MSI's new X-Slim X340 at a pre-CeBIT press event today, and we're seriously impressed -- just like the Atom-based X320, the X340 weighs just 2.8 pounds with a four-cell battery and 1366 x 768 13.4-inch screen, but it's got more horsepower with a ULV Penryn chip and GMA4500 graphics with HDMI out. Not bad, especially if this thing comes in under $1000 like we've heard -- we'll keep an eye out while you check out the rest of the pics in the gallery.%Gallery-45692%
MSI unveils new X-Slim models ahead of CeBIT
We certainly aren't tired of the X-Slim 320 laptop from MSI, with its Air-like form-factor in less expensive and slightly more practical packaging -- it's still many moons away from release, after all. Despite that, MSI felt the need to announce two new models to round out the still unreleased lineup: the 13.4-inch X340 and 15.6-inch X600. We don't know much about these two yet except that the X340 is slated be priced somewhere in the (wide) range of $699-$999 in the US, that both offer HDMI in addition to VGA output, both are Centrino 2-based, and that the X600 even has an eSATA port on top of its two USBs. We'll surely be seeing a lot more of this pair (plus the X320 as well) at CeBIT in just a few weeks, and are hoping that MSI will go ahead and maybe release one before introducing any more.
MSI plans to offer X-Slim laptops with Pentium processors
Well, it looks like MSI isn't about to wait around for Intel to deliver those new high-end, lower-cost processors for ultrathin laptops, as the company has just announced that it's planning to offer "high-powered" Pentium processors in its line of X-Slim laptops. That will apparently push the Pentium-equipped models past the $1,000 mark (as opposed to the $800 the Atom-based models will demand), although MSI apparently isn't ready to get more specific than that. The company also doesn't seem to have had much to say about any other potential spec-changes, with it only divulging that the Pentium-based models would will loaded with Vista.
MSI unveils ultra-thin X-Slim 320, fits snugly into manila envelope
MSI has unveiled the 13.4-inch X-Slim 320 (is that you, U300?), which at 1.98cm and about 2.87 pounds puts it just a teensy bit lighter and thicker than its Cupertino-born doppelganger, and comes with either a 4 or 8 cell battery that lasts up to 10 hours. The company provides no specs in its presser, but our cohorts at Engadget Chinese were at an MSI pre-CES event and report that we're looking at a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 1366 x 768 resolution, up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3.5G network card, three USB ports, an Ethernet port, VGA output, and an all-in-one card reader, and according to Crave it might be using the NVIDIA Ion platform. It's coming second quarter of 2009 for about $800 -- we'll see it for ourselves later this week.[Via Engadget Chinese]Read - MSI press releaseRead - Crave report
