While MSI is having a hard time keeping its Wind laptop in stock, that hasn’t stopped the company from working with distributors around the world on MSI Wind clones. The latest Wind-a-like is the DTK eBook i10 which will soon be available in the Middle East for about $500 US.

The eBook runs Windows XP and has all the specs you’d expect from an MSI Wind: a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive.

The only things I can see that set the eBook apart from your typical Wind laptop is the fact that it ships with a 0.3MP webcam standard instead of a 1.3MP camera (which is available as an option).

[via Eee PC.net and The Inquirer]

After getting tired of waiting for the 6 cell version of the MSI Wind to be available, I pulled the trigger and ordered an Eee PC 1000H last week. You’ve already seen the unboxing and the photo shoot comparing the 1000H to my HP Mini-Note. Now that I’ve been using the computer for a few days, I thought I’d share some thoughts.

First off, keep in mind, I’ve used an Eee PC 4G 701 and a 1.2GHz HP Mini-Note in the past. I skipped the Eee PC 900 and the MSI Wind. So I can’t give you a firsthand account of how this PC stacks up against those. But I do plan to get together with jkOnTheRun’s Kevin Tofel in a week or two and compare notes. He just ordered an MSI Wind which should be arriving soon.

Without further ado, here’s a brief review in bullet point form:

Pros:

• The Intel Atom CPU makes this computer feel rather zippy compared to the Eee PC 701with its Celeron Chip or the VIA C7-laden HP Mini-Note. Windows boots and shuts down fairly quickly (I haven’t timed it) and programs launch promptly. Most importantly, I can have 5+ tabs open in Firefox without a slowdown, or run several programs including a media player, IM application, and web browser withotu slowing down the PC. That was impossible with the Mini-Note.
• Between the power-saving processor and the 6-cell battery, the 1000H gets excellent battery life. Again, I haven’t performed a thorough test, but I’m easily getting 5+ hours of use per charge. I took the laptop with me for a weekend trip and didn’t have to plug it in once, despite several hours of use and many more hours of standby time.
• The battery also charges quickly, something that was not true for the original Eee PC 701.
• The 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display is large enough to read without squinting, although it could probably stand to be a little sharper.
• While the keyboard isn’t quite as touch-typing friendly as the HP Mini-Note keyboard, it is much larger and easier to use than the Eee PC 701 keyboard.
• The larger multi-touch trackpad with two distinct mouse buttons is a pleasure to use when compared with smaller trackpads with rocker buttons or buttons placed to the left and right of the touchpad.
• The Matte screen doesn’t reflect glare. I wish I could say the same for the glossy case.

Cons:

• It’s way too easy to swipe the touchpad with your palm while typing, which wreaks havoc on whatever text you’re trying to enter. If you use a USB mouse, I highly recommend turning off the touchpad.
• The power button is surprisingly hard to press because of the way it’s positioned. You sort of have to hit it with the very tip of your finger, and I’ve often found myself thinking I’ve turned the computer on or off only to realize a moment later that nothing’s happening.
• You can turn the WiFi and Bluetooth on or off by hitting Fn+F2. But there’s no way to turn on just WiFi or Bluetooth. You have to turn them both on, and if you’re not using one or the other, you right click on the  EeePC Tray utility to disable the one you don’t need. (My bad. It looks like you can just keep hitting the Fn+F2 key until you get the combo you want).
• The speaker volume is pretty quiet.
• At 3.2 pounds, this is probably the heaviest netbook that I’d still call a netbook.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the Eee PC 1000H. When I have some time i’ll try to run some more scientific tests on things like battery life. But there’s very little that my 6 pound, 15.4 inch laptop can do that the 3 pound 10.2 inch Eee PC 1000H cannot. And the Eee PC gets about 3 times the battery life, which makes it my current notebook of choice for working away from the confines of my home office.

I’ll be curious to see how it holds up against the highly acclaimed MSI Wind. The Wind is a bit lighter, and based on some reviews I’ve seen, it may get longer battery life. On the other hand, it lacks the 802.11n support that the Eee PC 1000H has (not that this is a must-have feature for me at the moment). The Wind also does not currently have a multi-touch trackpad. Again, not a killer feature, but it is nice to be able to scroll through web pages by placing two fingers on the trackpad rather than using one to hold down a mouse button.

Bluetrade is selling what appear to be the first available third party batteries for the MSI Wind laptop. These batteries should be compatible with the MSI Wind U100, U90, and a whole slew of computers that are just rebranded versions of those laptops including the Advent 4211 and Medion Akoya Mini.

French site Blogeee discovered that French retailer Material.net is selling the 4900mAh batteries for about 79 Euros or $118 US. I suspect it won’t be long before we see similar batteries available in the US.

So it  turns out that when I told you the Neo ViVid V1100 was an MSI Wind clone destined for the Philippines, I was wrong. While PC Corner certainly had a picture of an MSI Wind lookalike on the product page for a while, it has since been replaced with the photo shown above.

I can’t say I’ve seen any mini-notebook that looks quite like this one, and I can’t say I’m impressed. The speakers are a bit too prominent for my taste, and the case looks a little cheap. But that makes sense, because this ain’t exactly the most expensive netbook money can buy. PC Corner is charging 19,990 Philippine, or about $440 US.

Here’s what you get for your money:

• 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
• 1GB RAM
• 120GB HDD
• 8.9 inch display
• 3-in-1 card reader
• WiFi

No word on whether this computer will be available outside the Philippines anytime soon. Or ever.

Update: As jkkmobile and Joanna Stern kindly pointed out in the comments, it looks like this is an Amtek Elego/Sylvania G Meso style device.

thanks k!

Computer maker HCL is bringing the MSI Wind to India in the form of the MiLeap MH 04. Like it’s American and European cousins, the MH 04 packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB HDD, and a 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display.

The computer will run Rs. 24,999, which is about $586 US.

The MiLeap MH 04 isn’t HCL’s first leap (sorry) into low cost comuters. The company’s MiLeap S, L, and X series computers, which start at less than $330 appear to be based on the Intel Classmate PC design, with a 900Mhz Intel Celeron CPU and a 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display. The MiLeap V Series is a bit more exciting. It’s an $820 mini-tablet PC that runs Windows Vista, has a 7 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen display.

It looks like the MiLeap MH 04/MSI Wind will be squarely placed in between the company’s low end laptops and it’s higher cost mini-tablet.

[via Liliputing Forums]

MSI appears to have changed suppliers for the touchpad in the MSI Wind notebook. Blogeee reports that newer Wind laptops are using hardware and software from Sentelic instead of Synaptics.The change presents a few problems for end users:

1. Synaptics touchpads are far more widely used, which means there’s much better support for them in the Linux community. There’s a better chance that a touchpad will work with your favorite Linux distro if it’s a Synaptics product.
2. The Sentelic software doesn’t seem to be updated very regularly.
3. The new touchpad doesn’t seem to support vertical page-scrolling by moving your finger over the right side of the touchpad.

Of course, you can always just plug in a mouse, but part of the appeal of an ulrtaportable laptop like the Wind is that it takes up little space in your bag. Once you start packing accessories like mice and power cords, your laptop becomes just a little less portable.

Ever wonder what an MSI Wind notebook would look like with a big old black Bezel around the screen? Enter the MSI Wind U90. Blogeee reports that the laptop, which will not be available in the US, should start shipping next week.

This variant, which made its first appearance at Computex a few months ago, is virtually identical to the MSI Wind U100 in all respects but two:

1. It won’t be available in the US
2. It features an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display instead of the 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display its bigger sibling uses

For MSI, it makes plenty of sense to pack the smaller display into the larger chasis. It saves the company money both because smaller displays are cheaper and because there’s no need to produce a whole new case. But there’s an upside for the end user as well: You get the nice big, roomy keyboard offered by the MSI Wind U100 even if you pick up a U90 instead. You just have to learn to live with a bezel — and hope that MSI charges a few bucks less for the U90.

Update: As several people have pointed out in the comments, the U90 is already available in some countries. Apparently what’s new here is that it will hit France next week. Thanks!

Averatec, a company long known for producing cheap computers, is jumping into the cheap ultraportable game. The company’s upcoming computer will sport a 10.2 inch display, a 120GB hard drive, weigh less than 3 pounds, and cost between $399 and $499. And you know what? I’m pretty sure it’s just an MSI Wind with a different packaging label.

If you check out the placement of the ports and LED lights as well as the layout of the touchpad, it seems pretty clear that the upcoming Averatec netbook is just another MSI Wind clone. Laptop Magazine’s Joanna Stern agrees.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I see absolutely nothing wrong with another company bringing a Wind-like laptop to market. While the Wind costs a few bucks more than we were originally led to believe it would, it remains one of the best bargains around if you’re looking for a low cost laptop with decent performance and long battery life. And it’s still a little hard to find in stores. So the more companies there are providing Wind clones, the better your chances will be of actually being able to pick one up.

[via Engadget]

Asus Eee Hacks spotted a product page at PC Corner for a new PC that looks awfully familiar. The Neo ViVid V1100 MiniNote is basically a rebranded version of the MSI Wind laptop available in the US and Europe.

This is hardly the first time we’ve seen the Wind pop up under a different name. Russia’s got the Roverbook Neo U100, the Czech Republic has the Mivvy M310, and in the UK you can pick up an Advent 4211.

The ViVid V1100 should be available in the Philippines on August 19th for PhP 22,999.00 or about $525 US.

Update: Looks like this is not an MSI Wind clone. Oh, and it’s cheaper than expected too.

MSI is launching a special edition Wind laptop computer with a few extra hearts on the case and a rather ridiculous name. The MSI Wind Netbook Love Edition is described as a “special charity model,” and the laptop will “support a range of notebook donation programs around the world. But if you want to pick up one for yourself, it looks like you can snag your very own netbook love edition MSI Wind from the MSI shop for $559.The heart patterns on the case sort of make the pink version of the MSI Wind look masculine, and the computer comes with a 3 cell battery, not a 6 cell. So you’re paying dearly for those pretty heart shapes.

MSI will be donating computers for children in rural areas of countries including Taiwan, China, Poland, Russia, Vietnam, the Phillipines, Korea, and India.

[via Ee PC.net]

No, not that kind of wind. The folks at Madbox PC took a tour of the Chinese factory where the MSI Wind laptop is assembled. They got to see the process from start to finish and shot an awful lot of pictures. While part of the process is automated, there’s also a bit of a human touch involved in putting the motherboard, screen, and other components together.

Other than that, not a lot of surprises. But if your the sort of person who likes to pick your lobster from a tank before it becomes dinner, perhaps you can try to spot your order in the Madbox PC image gallery.

[via I4U News]

Russian netbook fans are getting a rebranded version of the MSI Wind U100 laptop. You can already pick up a U90, which is the 9 inch version of the Wind in Russia. But for those looking for a roomier 10 inch screen, there’s the Roverbook Neo U100.

The Neo U100 appears to be prety much identical to the version of the MSI Wind available in the US. I say appears, because my Russian is not so good (read: nonexistent), and Google Translate doesn’t show me any real specs like hard drive capacity, CPU speed, or even screen resolution. What we do know is that the Neo U100 has a battery, 3 USB ports, a card reader, VGA output, and WiFi.

The RoverBook Neo U100 sells for 14,566.50 rubles, or about $621.76 US.
thanks Ivan Zenkov!

Tired of waiting to get your hands on an MSI Wind laptop with a 6-cell battery? Don’t feel like paying $50 extra for the higher capacity battery? Looks like you can build your own. It won’t be pretty, but it’s certainly possible, as one member of the MSI Wind.net forums has shown.

The concept is pretty simple. You get your hands on a few of the 3.7v, 2200mAh cells used in the MSI Wind batteries (Wind Master at the MSI Wind.net forums is selling them, 8 for £15), cut open your battery pack (this is the scary part), and cram the extra batteris in. The result? A laptop that weighs a little more, has an unsightly bottom, and runs for 8 hours or more on a single charge.

[via Blogeee]

Last week a version of the MSI Wind with a 6-cell battery showed up online for $570. While MSI had originally promised to release the Wind with a 6-cell battery for $499, the company scaled back its plans before launch date due to a battery shortage. If you’re lucky enough to have found an MSI Wind in stock pretty much anywhere, odds are you found a 3-cell version for $479 or $499. That led to an obvious question: Had MSI actually raised the price of the 6-cell version, or was one retailer playing fast and loose with the pricing on a rare computer?

Turns out the truth is probably a bit of both. Laptop Magazine is reporting that MSI has confirmed a $50 price hike for the 6-cell Wind. That means you probably won’t find the laptop anywhere for less than $550. No word on why Mwave, the first retailer I’ve found to actually ship a few units before running out of stock, decided to boost the price by an additional $20. My guess? Because they could.

Online retailer Mwave is selling the MSI Wind laptop with a 6 cell battery. When MSI first announced the Wind laptop, the company promised to release the computer with a 6 cell battery for a low $499 price. But thanks to a global battery shortage, when the Wind was ready to start shipping, MSI was only able to include a 3 cell battery. MSI knocked the price of the 3 cell model down to $479 and said the 6 cell version would be available in September.

But Liliputing Forum member FDAMAN alerted us to the fact that Mwave has some units in stock right now for $570. That’s actually a bit more than Newegg is charging for the Eee PC 1000H, which has nearly identical specifications. But Newegg is out of stock on the Eee PC 1000H and doesn’t have any 6 cell Wind laptops yet.

In fact, even the MSI Shop doesn’t appear to have a listing, so this looks like an Mwave exclusive for now. If you find any other stores selling a 6 cell version of the Wind, let us know in the comments. I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed about the price hike. At $499, a 10 inch laptop with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU and a 6 cell battery would have been an amazing deal,. At $570, I’m not even 100% certain it’s a good deal. What do you think?