The new MSI Wind U135 netbook comes with a very affordable $310 price point, Intel's Pine Trail platform and Microsoft's Windows 7 Starter.
California-based MSI
Computer introduced the Wind U135 on Jan. 26, a 2.4-pound netbook that
features the Intel Pine Trail platform, which includes the Atom N450 processor
that runs at 1.66GHz.
The CPU, single chipset architecture and an efficient LED
display reportedly increase battery life by 15 percent over earlier models,
delivering a battery life of up to 7.5 hours. And to further enhance battery
life, the newest Wind offers five power mode settings to customize the power
supply to various tasks.
The Wind U135 runs Microsoft's Windows 7 Starter and
pairs a 10-inch WSVGA display - with a resolution of 1.024 by 600 pixels
- with a Chiclet-style keyboard. (Is the gum company OK with that
designation?) The elevated keys, which are larger than on previous models, are
said to also be more comfortable and offer greater accuracy.
The netbook offers 802.11 b/g/n wireless connectivity.
In addition, the Wind U135 offers a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, three USB ports, a
4-in-one card reader, a D-sub port and microphone-in and headphone ports. Users
can also choose between a 3-cell or 6-cell battery - the latter of
which offers those 7.5 hours.
The 12.22 by 8.87 by 3.15-inch Wind U135 comes in Silver,
Charcoal, Ruby and Sapphire and is now available at Fry's Electronics,
Comp USA, Amazon.com and Newegg.com for prices ranging from $302.99 to $329.99.
Worldwide PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2009 passed
90 million units, a growth of 22.1 percent over the same quarter a year ago,
according to Gartner Research. Shipment
growth was largely driven by low-cost PCs, such as notebooks and netbooks,
stated analyst Mikako Kitagawa in a January report.
However, low-priced PCs are said to be damaging, overall, to the PC industry.
"Without
an effective strategy to convey a clear usage model and feature set tied to
each segment," wrote IDC Analyst Jay Chou, in a Jan. 13 report,
"the market will inevitably continue down the slippery slope of
-good enough' computing sold to the lowest bidder."
Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.
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