MSI Wind U120-024US Netbook

MSI Wind U120-024US Netbook

Published April 27, 2009 at 07:05:14 AM, by Thai Tan

MSI Wind U120: Netbook Extraordinaire - Short Review

Following the fame of the widely successful MSI Wind series comes the MSI Wind U120, the next offering from the Taiwanese computer maker.

Standard Specs:

• 10 wide screen LC display
• 1024x600 resolution
• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor
• 1GB RAM
• 160 GB HDD

Generous Display

As the netbook market makes its way from the 8.9 inch category to the roomier 10” playing field, MSI gets props for being the first to introduce a netbook in this category with the U100xp. The next player, the U120, offers the same display real estate at 1024x600 resolution to allow full viewing of web pages when you are browsing and as the option of a power-saving LED backlight to allow you to save on batter life and working for extended periods of time away from the cord.

The Wind U120 is a three pound offering from MSI and has the same styling as that of the U100. This is an updated model that has everything from the old one and more but features an update in terms of color options. The MSI Wind U120 has a white finish and black accents compared to its brother the all-black U100 and their red, pink and white siblings as well.

Better Connectivity

This new model comes with the new WiMax HSDPA connectivity options. Now, mobile broadband is yours thanks to this addition – a feature that was sorely lacking in the Wind U100. Being away from a socket is not a problem with the extended six-cell battery that clocks in at 5 hours worth of computing before it goes to sleep mode. If MSI were to change one thing about this upgrade, it might have been to include an option for a solid-state drive (ideal for dual- booting with free OS such as Ubuntu Remix) instead of doubling the HD to 160GB.

Ports

The MSI Wind U120 has the standard 3 USB ports and also a 4-in-1 card reader. While the track pad is still tiny as it was in the MSI U100 (one major gripe among the users of the previous model), MSI thoughtfully adds an external mouse along with the package to remedy this. Nevertheless, there should be no reason to overlook this design limitation as there is enough space to stretch the track pad by even half an inch without compromising palm rest comfort.

Keyboard Ergonomics

Worth talking about is the spacious keyboard present in the MSI Wind U120. While not 92% like the HP Mini series, it is quite surprising to note that it is easy to type and work on the Wind U120 without your fingers getting stiff, thanks to good ergonomics. They keys have great texture and good spacing to ensure that you hit the desired keys at the right time without causing strain to your hands and wrists.

Conclusion

MSI does it again with the Wind U120 netbook. Though there might be limited Wimax options in the United States at the moment, there is no reason to shun this upgrade from the Taiwanese computer maker because the addition of the Wimax option means you could still have this netbook around for a very long time.

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Technical Specifications

• Processor: Intel Atom
• Mamory: 1 GB
• Harddrive: 160 GB
• OS: Microsoft Windows XP
• Weight: 2.23 lbs
• Screen: 10 in inches
• Screen resolution: 1024 x 600