MSI Wind Notebook Launched Now: Linux with Intel Atom processor in summer

MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is excited to announce the official launch of the much anticipated Wind Notebook. The Wind, an acronym for “Wi-Fi Network Device,” is the first 10” notebook to feature the speedy new Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz processor.

The 2.6 lbs Wind features 5+ HR battery life, Windows XP, ergonomic keyboard, and 80G hard drive all for under $500. “Intel is excited to collaborate with MSI to usher in the next generation of mobile computing devices,” said Steve Dallman, Intel VP Sales and marketing Group and GM, Worldwide Reseller Channel Organization. “The Wind’s user–friendly design, combined with the low power and 45nm High-K process of the Intel Atom processor, makes for an exceptional netbook.”

Weighing in at just 2.6 lbs, MSI designed the Wind to be lightweight and ultra mobile, without sacrificing convenience or performance. The Wind features an ergonomically designed keyboard that is only 20% smaller than of a full sized keyboard, with keys spaced a comfortable 0.68 inches apart. Business travelers will welcome the extended battery life available with the Windows based version, which provides up to 5.5 hours of untethered work time.

The Windows version of the Wind features an 80G / 2.5” SATA hard drive, which further sets it apart from other ultra portable notebooks, whose manufacturers have compromised memory capacity to save space. The Wind’s display features embedded LED power-saving backlight technology, which provides superior color quality and brightness. This innovative notebook also comes standard with a 1.3M webcam, Bluetooth capabilities, 3 USB ports and a 4-in-1 card reader.

The Windows version of the Wind is priced at $499 MSRP, and will be available for purchase starting June 16th, 2008 at msimobile.com. The Linux based models of the Wind will be available at the same site later this summer for $399 MSRP.

UMPC Choice: ASUS Eee PC vs. MSI Wind notebook

The UMPC seems to becoming a more popular choice for people who are on the move as they are much easier to transport around with you while traveling. There are a few Ultra Mobile PC’s on the market however; there is only one that has had all the attention, and that is the ASUS Eee PC. Asus has not really had much competition in this area, but this could be about to change with the release of the MSI Wind notebook.

So what has the Asus Eee PC got to offer? Well firstly Asus have two models of their popular UMPC Eee 700 series and the Eee 900 Series. The 700 series was the first out and did prove popular however; at only 7-inches It seemed to be a little on the small side. The standard Eee PC 700 only had a 2GB solid-state drive and just 256 MB, but a later model see this increased to 512 MB of RAM.

Asus learned a lot from their first attempt which was great news for when they released the larger Eee 900 Series, as you would expect the new model had a more popular larger screen and a full size keyboard with a multi-touch trackpad. This new machine now had the choice of either Linux or Windows XP OS.

The new Asus Eee 900 comes with a 20 GB SSD on the Linux version and a 12 GB solid-state drive on the Windows XP version, It seems strange that the more resource hungry windows gets a smaller hard drive. The new Eee 900 has had a few problems from the start, like a battery that does not last as long as it should do. Do not despair though as Asus are now rectifying this with a more powerful battery.

So will the new MSI Wind notebook be able to compete with the Asus Eee PC, and the first to try and take the fight to the Eee PC is the U100. As with the Eee PC the U100 comes with the choice of either Windows XP or Linux OS. The processor used to keep things running will be the Intel Atom 1.6GHz and 2GB of DDR2 RAM. One area that the U100 will lose out on is the standard 80GB 2.5” SATA hard drive; this will use a lot more power than a SSD. The screen is a 10-inch so a little larger than the biggest Eee PC, so getting towards a normal size laptop.

The MSI U100 Wind notebook will come with a choice of either a 3 cell or 6 cell batteries, not sure what the difference between the two is not known.

The future of computers is changing fast so many people seem to be dumping their bulky desktops for laptops, but then again laptops sales have been affected with the increased in sales of the much more portable and lighter UMPC’s. And sales will increase even further once larger SSD’s are developed and processors get more efficient.

Thanks to TweekTown for MSI Wind Notebook Images