MSI Wind U100-053LA

The MSI Wind U100-053LA is a subnotebook/ netbook by Micro-Star International (MSI) that hails from its Wind series, which stands for “Wi-Fi Network Device”. The Wind series is MSI’s response to the successful ASUS Eee PC. It comes in colour options; black, white, red and grey, as well as in two versions; one with an 8.9 inch screen and the other with a 10.1 inch screen. The MSI Wind U100-053LA measures 260 mm x 180 mm x 19 mm (H x W x D) in dimension and weighs approximately 1 kg including a 3-cell battery, or 1.2 kg including a 6-cell battery.
Specifications
The MSI Wind U100-053LA can operate on either a genuine Windows XP Home SP3 operating system or even a SUSE Linux operating system. It comes in two versions, including one with a 10.1 inch widescreen display and one with an 8.9 inch screen, as well as a big-size keyboard and touch pad. The display has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and is embedded with the LED power-saving backlight technology for better colour fullness and brightness as well as lower usage of power. Not only that, the MSI Wind U100-053LA also incorporates exclusive MSI EasyFace (face identification software) via the embedded webcam. It works together with the Easy Face Manager function to scan the face of the user and record reorganization through eyes, cheekbones, jaw line and nose as well as lets the user adjust the level of personal security identification. Users can also access the netbook by entering the user’s ID or password operating through Easy Face Logon. Not only that, the Easy Face AutoLocker is also able to detect when users are away from the screen for a period of time and consequently secures the system to prevent others from accessing the content of the user. In order to log in again, users will have to go through the Easy Face Logon feature again. The MSI Wind U100-053LA is also equipped with a 2.5 inch SATA standard hard drive with a capacity of 80 GB, 120 GB or 180 GB, and 1 GB of RAM standard for Windows operating system, or 512 MB of RAM standard for Linux operating systems. In terms of multimedia, the MSI Wind U100-053LA is equipped with a 1.3 mega pixel webcam, high-performance 2 channel stereo speakers and a built-in microphone. In addition to that, it also includes a 4-in-1 card reader that is compatible with most of the mainstream memory cards, USB ports and an optional external DVD burner. The memory card reader supports SD, MMC, MS and XD memory cards. The MSI Wind U100-053LA incorporates an Intel Atom 45 nm N280 1.66 GHz processor and an Intel 945 GSE + ICH 7M chipset as well as a DDR2 533 MHz 1 GB system memory. In terms of graphics and video module, the MSI Wind U100-053LA utilizes UMA. As for audio, the MSI Wind U100-053LA features HD audio and stereo speakers. There are communication ports consisting of built-in 10/100 LAN and built-in 802.11 b/g or 802.11 b/g/n WLAN card as well as Bluetooth support. In/ Out ports consists of graphics card output (15-pin/ D-sub), three USB 2.0 ports, microphone in port, line in port, headphone output, and LAN port. The MSI Wind U100-053LA runs on an AC adaptor that has an output of 20 V DC, 40 W, and an input of 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/ 60 Hz universal. Alternatively, it can also run on a 3-cell Li-ion battery that has the capacity to provide up to 2.5 hours of battery life, or 6 cell Li-Ion battery that can provide up to 5.5 hours of battery life.
Review

“I’m not sure that mini-notebooks are for everyone, but I do like where the niche is heading with bigger screens and more storage without much added weight, size or cost. And the Wind definitely represents its class well in these respects, helping convince us that maybe one day we won’t need laptops that are so freaking huge.” (Gizmodo, 2008)

“The MSI Wind is one of the best subnotebooks I have seen come out of the mini notebook storm that has hit us the past few months. It offers a 10″ widescreen, 2.5″ SATA hard drive, Intel Atom processor, and WIFI with Bluetooth for well under what some of the other mainstream competition charge. All all of this seems to come with a small caveat right now: horrible battery life. MSI is only selling the 3-cell version of the Wind, which averages just a hair over 2 hours of mobile use. This is unacceptable for a travel companion device. Good news is sometime in the future a configuration will be sold with the extended battery, and early adopters will need to wait for a 6-cell accessory battery.” (NotebookReview, 2008)

“For its sub-$700 asking price, you can’t go wrong with the MSI Wind. It was responsive in our tests, and has plenty of storage and a large screen. Most importantly, its battery lasts a long time. This ultraportable is also quite comfortable to use.” (News.com.au, 2008)