MSI says which way Wind is blowing

MSI dished to Laptop magazine about its plans for its Wind Netbook.

The previously announced Wind U120 will ship in the US at the end of January. As we learned last month, the U120 will feature the same specs as the U100 but introduce a new design along with WiMAX and mobile broadband connectivity. MSI's Director of US Sales Andy Tung said about the U120, "the price will be about the same as the U100, but the 3G/WiMax may raise the overall price." MSI will continue to sell the U100 but its aim will be "kids and teenagers."

MSI will also release two new Netbooks in late January, the Wind U110 and U115, that will forgo the Intel Atom N270 CPU in favor of the Atom Z530 chip. Both chips feature the same 1.6GHz clock speed, but the Z530 is physically smaller and more efficient. The U100 and U115 models will feature 10-inch screens, which MSI believes is the sweet spot for Netbooks. (I would agree. Anything smaller and I'd rather use a smart phone. Anything bigger, and I'd probably spend a bit more for a more fully functional ultraportable or thin-and-light laptop.)
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gOS Cloud: Browser-based OS for Netbooks

Good OS, the people who brought you the Linux-based gOS found on the US$199 Wal-Mart gPC last year, announced a browser-based OS called Cloud at the Netbook World Summit in Paris on Monday. (You know you've made it as a form factor when you have your very own world summit. Kudos, Netbook!)

The Cloud OS features a browser with an integrated, OS X-like dock and a Linux kernel that boots "in seconds", according to the company. The browser looks oddly similar to Google's Chrome, though no official connection between Google and gOS exists. Within the browser window resides a dock that provides quick access to a number of apps--Skype, YouTube, Google's Docs, etc.--that you can fire up without running Windows. From the dock, you can also boot to Windows.

Unlike the gOS, the Cloud OS isn't meant to replace Windows but live alongside it, similar to what Asus offers on some of its laptops and Lenovo on its IdeaPad S10 Netbook with the SplashTop app. Good OS states that Cloud "does not require additional hardware and is compatible with any operating system".

Good OS demonstrated its Cloud OS on a Gigabyte touch-screen Netbook at the World Summit in Paris. The company says such touchscreen Netbooks running the Cloud OS and Windows will be released at CES next month.

Via CNET Crave

ASUS releases brushed-aluminum Eee PC 1002HA

Unveiled last month, Asus' latest addition to its ever-expanding Netbook line is the Eee PC 1002HA. It's your standard 10-inch Netbook--Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and Windows XP--but comes wrapped in a gray, brushed-aluminum chassis. On the Eee PC scale, the 1002HA falls between the basic, black Eee PC 1000 and the sleek, thin S101. Thankfully, it's priced closer to the former, at US$499. And weighing in at 1.2kg, the 1002HA is only a little heavier than the S101.

Unfortunately, the 1002HA's uses a tiny, two-cell battery. It has a lower-rated capacity than the Eee PC 1000's six-cell battery or the S101's four-cell battery. The 1002HA's battery is rated at 4200mAh, compared with 6600mAh and 4900mAh on the Eee PC 1000 and the S101, respectively. Asus states the 1002HA will run up to 5 hours on a single charge, but the S101's larger battery ran for just more than 4 hours on our tests.

You can find the Eee PC 1002HA in the US listed on Amazon, Buy.com, ZipZoomFly, and other online resellers, though only for preorder at the moment.

Via CNET Crave

Netbook's Biggest Secrets Revealed: HP Mini 1000 does 3G

The HP Mini 1000 Netbook has a 3G modem--who knew? Well, HP presumably and now the rest of us do, thanks to an enterprising Mini 1000 owner and forum poster at Pocketables.net. He or she (impossible to say with a name like dplxy) discovered a SIM card slot hiding out in the Netbook's battery compartment. After speaking with HP and AT&T, user dplxy was able to find a WWAN driver from HP that did the trick--no hardware required. All that was needed was downloading the driver and then popping a SIM card in the mystery slot, which would seem to indicate that HP is shipping 3G-equipped Netbooks but not telling anyone.


Sadly, we just returned our HP Mini 1000 review unit, otherwise we'd be trying this out for ourselves right now (damnable loan agreements!). So, if you are an owner of the HP Mini 1000, take a peak underneath to see if you have this mysterious SIM card slot. Forum poster dplxy outlines the simple process on Pocketables.net and kindly provides a link to the WWAN driver you'll need.

Now, all we need is someone to discover a secret 6-cell battery to replace the puny 3-cell unit that is currently your only option with the Mini 1000.

Via CNET Crave

MSI announces three all-in-one PCs, calls them Wind Netons for some reason

MSI appears to be the only thing standing in the way of ASUS and its attempt to take over the world with Eee-branded products, including an Eee Nettop that is on tap to be announced. MSI sees ASUS' Eee Top and raises it three Wind Netons, MSI's (odd) name for its new line of all-in-one Nettops.

At the low end is the Neton M16, which features a 15.6-inch screen and a US$400 price. In the middle sits the M19, an 18.5-inch model for US$500, and at the top of the line is the still reasonably priced US$799 M22 with, you guessed it, a 22-inch display. The two low-end models serve up 1,366 x 768 resolutions, while the M22 does 1,920 x 1,080 while also including a Blu-ray drive. All three have touch screens.

I assume the prices quoted are for the single-core Atom chip but MSI will also offer the dual-core Atom. Linux isn't offered, but you do get a choice of OS: XP with a single-core chip and Vista with a dual-core chip.

You won't see these Netons until next year--the M19 in January, the M16 in February, and the M22 in March. By then, perhaps someone will explain to me why I'd want a computer based on an Intel Atom processor that doesn't also include a battery.

Via Engadget China, which has photos from the MSI event. Our counterparts in Taiwan also have also some interesting images of the new lineup.

Via CNET Crave

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