With the new netbook platform update from Intel, MSI has a very sound reason to update one of its most popular 10 inch netbook series, the U100. With this series the MSI offered the netbook in several alternatives, among others the Wind U115 as a SSD-HDD solution. The new Wind U135, is replacing the older U100 and positions itself in the low-priced field announced for January at a price tag of $329,99 and is the main competitor for ASUS Eee PC 1005PE priced at $379,99.
This netbook features the new Intel Atom N450 at 1.66GHz, a 250GB, 5400-rpm SATA hard drive, 1GB of RAM (upgradable to 2GB), Windows 7 Starter Edition and a six cell battery. Other specifications are the 10.1 inch glossy display with the rated resolution of 1024×600 pixels, fueled by Intel GMA 3150 graphic card and 128MB shared video memory. It has 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 EDR and the following connectors: Ethernet, Headphone, Kensington Lock, Microphone, VGA and 3 USB ports, also a 3-1 card reader and a 1.3MP Webcam.
When it comes to its looks, the MSI engineers tweaked the chassis with a new keyboard, wider touchpad and a lid design in three distinctive colors: silver, black, blue and red. The 1.4kg netbook looks very similar to its rival ASUS Eee PC 1005PE and it’s the plastic build feels very solid (as solid as plastic can feel). The new keyboard is being used more and more now days by netbook producers and the MSI is one of them, and the keys are a bit sturdier than conventional keyboards. The track pad has been expanded and it has only one single silver mouse bar as ASUS does. When watching a movie the heat isn’t a problem, the highest temperature was at the exhaust, around 39 degrees Celsius and around 35 degrees in the middle of the keyboard.
Equipped with the new Intel Atom processor the system is very well suited for everyday tasks, conducting video calls over Skype and surfing the Web at the same time, with multiple tabs opened didn’t caused system hang-ups. The Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics chip can play back smoothly a 720p movie with no hiccups. The Intel N450 CPU with the GMA 3150 graphic chip places itself on the same level of performance as its predecessors (N280/GMA950) but has the advantage of significantly lower power consumption. The MSI Wind U135 can reach up to 7 hours in the battery test, but is still far behind the identically equipped ASUS Eee 1005PE.
As a bottom line, the Wind U135 looks and performs well for a netbook, keeping pace with its brethren. However, battery life takes a step back, especially considering that the Atom N450 is supposed to offer 20 percent greater endurance than the previous generation of Atom chips (the N280). Some will gladly pay up the extra $50 for the Asus Eee PC 1005PE, and get the extra 4 hours of work and play time.
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