First Reviews of the MSI Wind Ultra-Portable Laptop

Ken E. writes "UK tech website Mobile Computer has an early hands-on review of the MSI Wind — a £329 ultraportable notebook that will compete head-on with the Asus Eee PC 900. In its favour are a 10in screen, better keyboard and, perhaps most important of all, an Intel Atom 1.6GHz dual-core processor (though the site shies away from mentioning this open secret due to what sound like NDA constraints). They like it a lot — is this finally a worthy Eee PC alternative?" (£329 is about $650US at the moment.) An anonymous reader points to CNET's hands-on photo gallery of the Wind; CNET's reviewer says the MSI Wind is the first mini notebook with an overclock button. Barence adds another review at PC Pro.

"Green" Laptop

[TTURabble (1164837)]

Am I the only one who read the title and thought that MSI had made a wind powered laptop?

Re:

[peragrin (659227)]

nope at least not until after I re read the headline, and realized Wind meant a small information machine.

I read it and thought

[gerf (532474)]

"Um, aren't Atoms all single core?"

Re:

[Yvan256 (722131)]

Yeah, but the electrons are like math co-processors and graphic accelerators and such...

Or taking it one step further ...

[Krishnoid (984597)]

A wind-up laptop?

Reading in dollars?

[EEDAm (808004)]

You're right that £329 is about $650 on xe.com etc today. However it's a bit misleading when it comes to product. In Blighty here we have always suffered in the transatlantic stakes - new kit is always significantly more expensive than the USD/GBP exchange rate would infer. This is frequently illustrated in the UK press as being indicative of 'Rip off Britain'. I very strongly suspect this holds in the reverse here too. Given how weak the dollar is, I seriously don't expect them to be charging $650 for it in the US - it'll be cheaper.

Re:Reading in dollars?

[JustinOpinion (1246824)]

This article [pcworld.com] lists the US prices as:
Linux version: $560
WinXP version: $604

and the UK prices as:
Linux version: £320 (~630 USD)
WinXP version: £350 (~690 USD)

Re:Reading in dollars?

[thebdj (768618)]

Or it could be $399 [engadget.com]

Re:

[thebdj (768618)]

Hate to dual reply. But the prices they list are for the UK Version to be imported by Expansys. Something engadget previously covered as $610. So, I would have to say that $399 if far more likely to be accurate based on what it is intended to compete with.

page

[mcelrath (8027)]

Ok, why the hell has every manufacturer in the business decided to eschew the pgup/pgdn buttons for the god-awful two-handed replacement? Does anyone actually like this crap or are the rest of you only reading 1 page things?

Re:

[TheRaven64 (641858)]

I like the placement of the buttons on my MacBook Pro. My ThinkPad has separate buttons, but they are up in the top right corner of the keyboard and hard to hit. My MBP has them on the arrow keys and so switching between scrolling one line and scrolling one page with the keys is just a matter of resting the edge of my left hand on the function key in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard. There is no comment in TFA on whether the 'responsive' trackpad is multitouch - I have got so used to two-fingered 2

Re:

[mcelrath (8027)]

You clearly don't hold a pencil in one hand while reading things. Not all of us have two free hands lying about.

Between the one mouse button, lack of pgup/pgdn keys, and numerous hardware problems, my macbook pro is really pissing me off. I wish everyone would stop manufacturing crap.

Re:

[Xzzy (111297)]

If you use two fingers on the mousepad on a Mac, it will function as a scroll wheel.

Doesn't work on older macbooks, but there's a driver floating around that will give you the feature.

Re:

[mcelrath (8027)]

Scroll wheel makes a crappy pgup/pgdn. Either it jumps too many pages or (if you lower sensitivity) makes scrolling in continuous mode (e.g. web browsers) way too slow.

Re:

[MobileTatsu-NJG (946591)]

Scroll wheel makes a crappy pgup/pgdn. Either it jumps too many pages or (if you lower sensitivity) makes scrolling in continuous mode (e.g. web browsers) way too slow.

That's not how the track pad on the MB Pro behaves. It actually works pretty nicely. I've caught myself using that even though I've had the mouse in my hand a few times. You're right, scroll wheels leave quite a bit to be desired.

Re:

[snowraver1 (1052510)]

Or, I don't know, throw out the default mouse and buy a 19.99 Microsoft Intellieye /w scroll wheel and *gasp* two whole buttons!!

Re:page

[LynnwoodRooster (966895)]

You clearly don't hold a pencil in one hand while reading things. Not all of us have two free hands lying about.

A pencil? May I suggest something to help [enzyte.com] grow that pencil to something more substantial...

It's possible to do much better.

[argent (18001)]

I like the placement of the buttons on my MacBook Pro.

I don't. And to add insult to injury mine's the 17" so there's plenty of room for a full sized keyboard.

This keyboard has what's close to the layout I'd like on a laptop:

http://www.adesso.com/images/big/bigger/MCK-91.jpg [adesso.com]

The older model I have at home, no longer available, has no "Fn" key or fake numeric keypad... which is another think I'd like to see laptop manufacturers give up on. Either way, this keyboard is about the same size as a regular laptop ke

Re:

[TheRaven64 (641858)]

I don't know about the EeeeeeeeeeeeeeePC, but with a MacBook [Pro] you can select large chunks of text if you start the drag with one finger on the pad then put the second finger down and scroll.

Weird scaling

[Oxy the moron (770724)]

I find it interesting that this laptop more or less falls right in between your standard fare laptop and an Eee PC in terms of portability and raw power, but is the most expensive of the crop.

Using the base Vostro 1500 for the "average laptop" and the Eee PC 8G we have:

• Eee PC - 7" display, 800Mhz Celeron, 8G storage, 1GB RAM @ $549
• Wind - 10" display, 1.6Ghz Atom, 80GB storage, 1GB RAM @ $649
• Vostro 1500 - 15.4" display, 1.6Ghz C2D, 120GB storage, 2GB RAM @ $499

I realize the comparison is odd since they all hit different intended markets, but it seems that something that is between the two in specs would be closer to either of the two in terms of price than it currently is.

Re:Weird scaling -- Not.

[Blahbooboo3 (874492)]

I find it interesting that this laptop more or less falls right in between your standard fare laptop and an Eee PC in terms of portability and raw power, but is the most expensive of the crop.

Using the base Vostro 1500 for the "average laptop" and the Eee PC 8G we have:

• Eee PC - 7" display, 800Mhz Celeron, 8G storage, 1GB RAM @ $549
• Wind - 10" display, 1.6Ghz Atom, 80GB storage, 1GB RAM @ $649
• Vostro 1500 - 15.4" display, 1.6Ghz C2D, 120GB storage, 2GB RAM @ $499

I realize the comparison is odd since they all hit different intended markets, but it seems that something that is between the two in specs would be closer to either of the two in terms of price than it currently is.

Compared to the Vostro you're paying for the size reduction. I bet that Vostro is one of those fugly and heavy cheap dells. At 6.33lbs, you can have that Vostro lead brick. UGH! Never again for travel would I use something that heavy. Once you go 3lbs for travel, you NEVER go back.

Compared to the EEE, you are paying for the larger 10" screen & faster processor.

All in all, it makes perfect sense to me the price placement from your list.

Re:

[tknd (979052)]

Your Eee PC specs are off for the Eee 8G: 900mhz celeron and it is $499. The Eee 900 is 900mhz, 8.9" screen, 4GB + 16GB (or 8GB if you go with winxp) at $549.

The Wind is a little overpriced but is slightly different... hard drive vs ssd, slightly larger display (in dimensions, not pixels) and slightly larger keyboard. I can see some people paying the premium to have the large hard disk instead of the small ssd. The keyboard on the eee also takes a while to get used to and is very hard to touch-type on be

Re:

[FleaPlus (6935)]

A couple weeks ago the official pricing structure for the MSI Wind in the US was announced, which I think alters your analysis quite a bit, as the version of the MSI Wind with Linux will be less costly than either the Eee or the Vostro:

http://blog.laptopmag.com/msi-wind-revealed-10-inch-mini-notebook-to-hit-us-in-june [laptopmag.com]

The Linux version, running Novel's SUSE, will have 512MB RAM and an 80GB hard drive. It will retail for $399. The Windows XP version will have 1GB RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and Bluetooth, retailing for $549. However according to MSI a base configuration of the Windows XP product will be available for under $500.

Awesome battery life, assuming it meets up to spec

[Bananatree3 (872975)]

3-4 hours on a 3 cell battery!? Awesome! With a 6cell battery at ~6 hours, I would gladly take one. Not to mention it's a dual core processor, and the the Asus eeePC only runs for a few (3.5) on a 6 cell battery off a 1ghz processor. That isn't to say I need a dualcore all the time, I am just amazed they could squeeze more juice out of a dual core and still make it competitive.

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[mollymoo (202721)]

The Silverthorne Atom was single core, the Diamondville comes in single or dual core.

Back in my day...

[Lord Byron II (671689)]

...the "overclock" button was known as Turbo and the only reason we used it was because our 386's went too damn fast!

Re:

[mr_mischief (456295)]

It was more of an "underclock" button. "Turbo" was whatever your system should normally run at. Turning it off made it clock down to AT speed so games with timing loops written to CPU NOOPs instead of using the system clock wouldn't be over before you got a chance to play.

Re:

[raddan (519638)]

The "turbo" button on my 286 functioned something like a "crash now" button would.

$400 in the US

[assassinator42 (844848)]

The Linux version of the Wind will be only $400 in the US [laptopmag.com]. Unfortunately, it only includes a three-cell battery, which is a deal breaker for me. I'd pay $50 more for a longer battery life, but apparently that will only be available on the "standard" $550 Windows XP model.

I don't know...

[pokeyburro (472024)]

...329 pounds doesn't seem very portable to me...

Re:

[trongey (21550)]

...329 pounds doesn't seem very portable to me...

Apparently you never carried around a Grid. For that matter, the Dell M60 I used to carry seemed pretty close.

Benchmarks?

[tknd (979052)]

FTA:

Most impressive of all, however, was performance. We didn't run any benchmarks, but the MSI Wind felt extremely snappy in general use...

How can you claim performance is good without running quantitative benchmarks?

I am interested in the performance of the new Atom processor because it uses a new chip design that prioritizes cost (to manufacture) and power efficiency, but not necessarily performance.

Re:

[jandrese (485)]

Yes, because clearly a $700 ultraportable is clearly a direct competitor for a $100 laptop aimed at children in developing nations.

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[Lumpy (12016)]

Even more when the $100 laptop costs $199.00 or more.

This MSI laptop is only slightly smaller and has less use (no dvdrw than their already small subnotebooks.

I'm thinking it's a marketing gimmick only.

Re:OLPC

[Brian Gordon (987471)]

Uh it said a worthy alternative to the eee pc, not the OLPC..

Re:

[sakdoctor (1087155)]

can you elaborate? I've always found their motherboards to be well build and reliable.

Re:

[locokamil (850008)]

It's almost as if they build their motherboards to die after a year (+/- 1 month) of use... I've had four of them die on me so far (I'm a bit of a glutton for punishment), while the Asus and Gigabyte ones continue to hum along just fine.

Re:Motherboard

[Smidge204 (605297)]

I had one MSI mainboard that was DOA. No problems getting a replacement. Since then it's been used in a small office file server which runs 24/7 in a (sadly) unventilated closet, survived a number of power outages and even a power supply explosion (literally). Running for three years now ann not a single problem... with the mainboard anyway :)

MSI is certainly not a top brand but they're not complete junk either, in my experience.
=Smidge=

Re:

[abolitiontheory (1138999)]

The problem is that there's so much at stake in computer hardware. A lot of consumer decisions are made on snap reflexes to past experiences. If your car breaks down, you don't loose thousands of miles of past driving experience, or anything as nasty as a hard drive failure on a PC. I've established loyalties to companies based not so much on what they've provided me, but on the fact that they've simply not let me down. So far, these are my Hardware company loyalties:

Motherboards: Gigabyte (2 boards + 1 R

Re:

[locokamil (850008)]

PEBKAC would make sense if the 15 other computers with other motherboards hadn't been working flawlessly...

Re:Motherboard

[Brian Gordon (987471)]

I'd generally steer clear of anything with a relic of a "Turbo" button..

Re:Motherboard

[mr_mischief (456295)]

If your car has a button for the turbo, you may have installed it incorrectly. ;-)

Re:Motherboard

[berashith (222128)]

Not so quick. The turbo button in my 80s Civic was mislabeled AC, but I think the only incorrect installation was the light itself. If I turned off the AC light, the car could actually climb a hill with passengers in it.

Re:

[tweak13 (1171627)]

Any specific reason, or are you just spouting a bunch of crap? I've been using an MSI motherboard in a gaming machine I built for about a year and a half now, it's been one of the best motherboards I've ever used. Looking at reviews, they have a few models that are rated pretty low, some that are rated excellent. Just like every other motherboard manufacturer.

Re:

[shawn(at)fsu (447153)]

thats some nice FUD you have there.

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[Rude Turnip (49495)]

You're paying for the smaller size...that kind of engineering isn't free.

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[mollymoo (202721)]

It's not free, but it is cheap. Smaller screen = less money. Small case means no need for a metal frame = less money. No optical drive = less money. Assuming these things are similar to my Eee they are incredibly basic inside - silver paint serves as a shield, one sheet of metal under the keyboard is the heatsink, even the trackpad buttons are on the motherboard itself instead of on a daughterboard. There is only one type of screw holding my Eee together. Compared to the other laptops I've been inside with

Re:

[trongey (21550)]

While I like new toys why would I pay $600.00 for this when for $499.00 I can just get a Dell Laptop?

Because it's not a Dell?

Re:Antique analog VGA

[Yvan256 (722131)]

I'm with you on the VGA output. DVI, however, is a bit too big to consider on a laptop, so IMHO they should switch to HDMI instead (which is probably where computer monitors are headed anyway).

As for the enter/backspace key, I hate those huge L-shaped enter keys and a regular-sized backspace key is a problem. In fact, on my Apple keyboard right here, the delete key is just a tad shorter than the return key.

If you rarely use backspace, more power to you. But for the rest of us, a regular-sized backspace key would be too much trouble. In fact, I'd even say that if you can't hit a non-L-shaped enter key, you're the one with a problem.

Re:

[MBGMorden (803437)]

And while I'm at it, I'd be interested to hear other people's perception of the oversized backspace key (yeah, I know, this is at the bottom of the list of considerations for purchasing a new laptop, but I've got lots of free time to kill today). I've always preferred keyboards with a large "L-shaped" Enter key, and a standard size backspace key (so that the \| key is right at the top row, between the =+ key and the backspace). I've never really understood why some people like to shrink the size of a heavily used key (Enter) to make room for a key that is rarely used (backspace).

Personally, I consider what they have on that laptop the "standard" layout. Microsoft uses it, Logitech uses it, my HP laptop uses it, and whatever cheapo OEM made this Dell keyboard that I'm typing on now uses it.

I'm surpised that there are actually people that prefer their keyboard any other way :).

Personally, I tend to mentally seperate my keys by rows. A key should never span more than one row, so the "L" shaped Enter key is an immediate abomination. The standard size shown on this laptop keeps it