MSI is releasing more details about its upcoming MSI Wind mini-laptop. And while I already knew that this was pretty much the ultraportable to keep an eye on this summer, I’m now officially more excited than ever. Joanna Stern at Laptop Magazine scored an interview with MSI sales director Andy Tung, and here are some of the things she learned:
- While MSI will be releasing 8.9 inch and 10 inch models, only the 10 inch version will be available in the US at launch
- The Linux version will pack a version of SUSE Enterprise, 512MB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive, and will sell for $399.
- The Windows version will cost $549 and will have Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive
- The standard battery has six cells and will last an estimated six hours thanks to the energy saving Atom processor, which runs at 1.6GHz on full speed, but scales down for less CPU intensive activities
- Colors will include black, pearl, white, pink, and silver
I’ll believe that claimed 6 hour battery life when I can try it for myself. But with a 6 cell battery and a power-conscious chip, it’s not out of the realm of possibillity. The only question I have left is how the MSI Wind will look and feel when you stack it up against an HP Mini-Note or Asus Eee PC. The Wind sports the same 1024 x 600 pixel resolution as the Eee PC 900, but instead of an 8.9 inch screen it will have a 10 inch display, which means it will likely be closer to the size of the Mini-Note, if not larger. At 2.6 pounds, it’s also a bit heavier than the Eee PC. Sure, half a pound might not seem like enough, but that’s 25% of the weight of the Eee PC.
Update: Electronista is reporting that the $399 Linux model will ship with a 3 cell 2.5 hour battery, not the 6 cell/6 hour battery.
Update 2: Laptop Magazine now has the complete specs for the Windows and Linux models. The Windows version weighs a tiny bit more at 2.8 pounds. I’ll chalk the difference up to the fact that the Windows version comes with the 6 cell battery instead of the 3 cell battery. But I will complain that not everyone who buys the Linux model is just looking for a cheaper laptop. Some folks would just rather have Linux than Windows on their computer. So I certainly hope MSI offers Linux customers the option of upgrading to the higher capacity battery for a fee.
Big pics of the black MSI Wind:
https://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/msi-wind-photos-of-black-version/
Specs show graphics memory shares system memory (something Laptop Mag didn’t mention!):
https://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/msi-wind-hits-ebay-in-italy/
Update my subnote size chart too:
https://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/update-3-subnotebook-dimensions/
I also hope they include Bluetooth as an option on the Linux version. Although by the time you add that and the bigger battery you could be at the same price as the Windows model. And then it’s just a matter of formatting the drive and installing whatever flavour of Linux that takes you fancy. Still it would be nice to have all the features on the SUSE model and therefore fully supported by MSI.