While MSI isn’t expected to release their Wind notebook for another month or so, Spanish web site CHW got a chance to check out an early prototype. Probably the most surprising thing is that during their hour-long test the MSI Wind didn’t get all that hot. Most notebooks I’ve used get pretty warm to the touch, and this is doubly true for tiny laptops like the Eee PC and HP Mini-Note, which don’t have a lot of room for ventilation. But MSI pretty much blanketed the bottom of the Wind laptop with vents, and apparently it’s worked.
There’s not a ton of new info in the article, but there are some real world pictures, a shaky video, and a few interesting nuggets:
- The six cell battery does stick out from the back a bit, while the 3 cell battery fits snugly (not that this is a surprise, just something you should be aware of).
- SpeedStep didn’t work very well on the demo unit, but since it was using a prototype Intel Atom processor and not a final build this issue might be addressed by the time the laptop officially launches.
- YouTube videos didn’t seem to have much impact on the CPU usage.
- The screen looks good.
- The keyboard is larger and easier to use than the Eee PC keyboard.
[via jkkmobile]
I wish manufacturers would concentrate more on the $200-$300 price bracket. The Wind looks like a nice machine and the form factor is super cool, but the prices need to come down.
We are getting more and more really cool mini machines, but all the new models lose the what-the-hell price-tag. I paid $400 for my EEE and that was already stretching my budget to its max – I would want a minimal machine costing as much as an mp3 player.