Type: Ultraportable, Value
Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
Processor Name: Intel Atom N270
Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1 GB
Weight: 2.6 lb
Screen Size: 10.1 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Storage Capacity: 80 GB
Networking Options: 802.11g
Primary Optical Drive: External
MSI wind for the most part, figured out the right parts to put into a UMPC. Although SSD drives are more durable and battery efficient, double-digit gigabyte capacities at reasonable prices are still at least another year away. The 80GB spinning drive is a good fit for the Wind (note, however, that the HP Mini-Note offers both SSD and spinning drives). Three USB ports, a four-in-one media card reader (SD, MS, MS Pro, MMC), VGA-out, an Ethernet port, and a 1.3-megapixel webcam are standard UMPC features. Bluetooth and 802.11g Wi-Fi are your standard embedded features.
HP is slightly ahead of the features curve because it integrates an ExpressCard slot for expansion devices such as cellular modem cards. It's hard to one-up one's rivals when the price of a UMPC has to fall within the $500 range. The Wind doesn't break any ground with its design: Clad in white plastic, the unit weighs less than 3 pounds, like the Acer Aspire One and the ASUS EeePC 900. The HP Mini-Note, by contrast, thinks out of the box by using anodized aluminum, which makes it appear sturdier and appeals to business users as well.
The ideal size for a UMPC screen is from 8.9 to 10 inches. Anything larger than that and I'd have to question whether it's still a UMPC or an ultraportable like the Sony VAIO VGN-TZ298N. A smaller screen, on the other hand, like the one on the first-generation ASUS EeePC 4G would make you squint. The Wind elected to go with a 10-inch screen, a practical size for both Web surfing and word processing. Even though, at 92 percent, the Wind's keyboard is bigger than the ASUS 900's (84 percent), it's still not full size. If the HP Mini-Note can accommodate a 92 percent keyboard with an 8.9-inch screen, the Wind can certainly offer a bigger keyboard, considering its 10-inch screen. Still, the typing experience is pleasant for both touch typists and two-finger hunt-and-peck typists. The mouse buttons, on the other hand, are so tiny and narrow that they're hard to find in the dark, not to mention difficult to press. As if the ultramobile PC space weren't already crowded enough, msi Computer Corp. has blown in with its Wind UMPC.
MSI basically (though not literally) took the ASUS EeePC 900, improved it, and slapped its own branding onto it. The Wind doesn't go out of its way to differentiate itself from the crowd, but it's still a top-tier UMPC in many ways. At $480 (street), it's the best deal
The ideal size for a UMPC screen is from 8.9 to 10 inches. Anything larger than that and I'd have to question whether it's still a UMPC or an ultraportable like the Sony VAIO VGN-TZ298N. A smaller screen, on the other hand, like the one on the first-generation ASUS EeePC 4G would make you squint. The Wind elected to go with a 10-inch screen, a practical size for both Web surfing and word processing. Even though, at 92 percent, the Wind's keyboard is bigger than the ASUS 900's (84 percent), it's still not full size. If the HP Mini-Note can accommodate a 92 percent keyboard with an 8.9-inch screen, the Wind can certainly offer a bigger keyboard, considering its 10-inch screen. Still, the typing experience is pleasant for both touch typists and two-finger hunt-and-peck typists. The mouse buttons, on the other hand, are so tiny and narrow that they're hard to find in the dark, not to mention difficult to press. As if the ultramobile PC space weren't already crowded enough, msi Computer Corp. has blown in with its Wind UMPC.
MSI basically (though not literally) took the ASUS EeePC 900, improved it, and slapped its own branding onto it. The Wind doesn't go out of its way to differentiate itself from the crowd, but it's still a top-tier UMPC in many ways. At $480 (street), it's the best deal
