The MSI Wind U100 is already one of the most popular netbooks among mini-laptop enthusiasts thanks to its excellent design and easy hackability. We’ve already gotten a sneak peek at the MSI Wind U110, U115, and U120 models which are set to hit the US in early 2009. But now MSI sales director Andy Tung is spilling some more details about the company’s upcoming products. Tung tells Laptop Magazine that MSI will show off all three new netbooks at CES in January, with the MSI Wind U120 set to go on sale in the US before the end of January.

The MSI Wind U120 is probably the least interesting of the three new machines, since it’s basically the same as the existing MSI Wind U100 in most respects. It has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, a 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display and a 120GB hard drive. What makes it a little different from the U100 is a redesigned chassis, and the inclusion of an optional 3G broadband modem. MSI also eventually plans to offer the Wind U120 with a solid state disk option.

The MSI Wind U110 and U115 are a bit more interesting, as they use the Intel Atom Z530 chip which uses less energy than the N270 processor used in many netbooks today. Tung says the U115, as anticipated, will use a combination solid state disk and hard drive. And he says that thanks to the low power processor and low power SSD, the U115 could get 10 hours of battery life out of a 6 cell battery, while the U110 which comes with a 160GB or 250GB hard drive will get about 8 hours.

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You’ve seen the MSI Wind U120 unboxed, you’ve seen it lightly reviewed. Now it’s time to get a bit more intimate and see the netbook with its top off. Christophe of French netbook site Netbook 3G got his hands on a pre-release MSI Wind U120H, packed with goodies like a 3G modem and a GPS receiver. He’s posted a bunch of photos of MSI’s successor to the popular Wind U100 netbook, including the picture you can see abve of the computer’s motherboard.

In many ways, the MSI Wind U120 is a lot like the U100. It has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. The 3G modem is the main thing that sets this computer apart from its predecessor. but it also has a slightly modified chassis with a black and white color scheme.

The MSI Wind U120 isn’t officially shipping yet, but the folks at MSI Wind en Espanol managed to get their hands on a pre-release unit and have posted some first impressions and an unboxing video.

The first thing you notice? That is a nice looking box. And this whole “netbook” thing seems to be catching on, as MSI wrote the word right on the box instead of the more traditional notebook, laptop, subnotebook, or mini-laptop.

The computer is practically identical to the MSI Wind U100, except that it has a different color scheme, a slightly more angular design, and an internal 3G wireless broadband module. In the future MSI will also customers the option of getting a model with a solid state disk instead of a hard drive, but the review units all seem to have hard drives.

You can check out the unboxing video after the break.

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Just a day after making an appearance at a press conference in Taiwan, the MSI Wind U120 has found its way to the US. Well, sort of. The folks at Laptop Magazine got their hands on a pre-production model of the next generation MSI Wind netbook.

The verdict? its looks nice, has an improved touchpad with separate left and right buttons, and… well, that’s about it. Eventually MSI plans to offer the Wind U120 with a 3G modem and an optional solid state disk instead of a hard drive. But the model Laptop Magazine got to play with doesn’t have either of those features.

Update: They did get an official spec sheet which shows that the MSI Wind U120 will come with an optional 3.5G HSDPA module, WiMax support, and the otion of a 3 or 6 cell battery. My guess is the available configurations will vary depending from location to location.

The upcoming MSI Wind U120 netbook, was on display at an MSI press conference in Taiwan today. Engadget Chinese was on hand and shot a bunch of photos of the new netbook, which MSI is launching as an updated to the popular MSI Wind U100.

The U120 has a shiny new black and white case with a more angular design than the round-cornered MSI Wind U100. But it has the same keyboard, port configuration, and internal components including a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display, and 1GB of RAM. Last I heard, the MSI Wind U120 will have a 120GB hard drive, or an optional 20GB or 40GB SSD.

It appears from the photos that the new netbook is pretty much the same size as the MSI Wind U100, so the only real differen appears to be the shape and the possibility of an SSD option.

thanks Edward!

Update: As Gabe points out in the comments, the other thing that sets the U120 apart from the MSI Wind U100 is the fact that the new model will ship with a 3.5G modem for wireless broadband connections.

MSI is expected to launch a sequal to the Wind U90/U100 netbooks that are so popular with the kids (and hackintosh makers) these days. And according to DigiTimes, the MSI Wind U120, which will feature an integrated 3.5G modem could be available as soon as November.

For the most part, the U120 looks a lot like the U100 — on paper. It’s got a shiny new case with a more angular design (fewer rounded corners) than the U100. But inside, it’s got a 120GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU. Word on the street is that MSI will eventually offer a solid state disk option in lieu of a hard drive.

The MSI Wind U120 will reportedly cost about $550, although the company is working with some mobile carriers to bundle netbook with wireless data plans. It’s not clear how this will affect the price, but it’s not uncommon to see carriers offer handsets or even computers for free after locking you into a 1 or 2 year service plan.

via Engadget

The first pictures of the upcoming MSI Wind U120 laptop are hitting the web, and it sure does look pretty. The folks at Fudzilla managed to dig up 8 images of the next generation netbook from MSI. 

As previously noted, the Wind U120 will have a 10 inch display, an optional solid state drive, and a slightly more angular case than the MSI Wind U90 and U120 which feature rounded edges. Fudzilla says the U120 will come with the option of a 120GB HDD, or a 20GB or 40GB SSD. It will also come with 802.11n wireless and an internal 3.5G modem. 

Other than the new case, SSD, and new wireless options, the Wind U120 will be a lot like the Wind U100. it will pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display, and 1GB of RAM.

via Engadget

Laptop Magazine scored an interview with Andy Tung, the head of sales for MSI in the US. And he had a lot to say about the current state of the MSI Wind laptop as well as the future of the platform. Probably the most exciting news is that MSI plans to release an updated model called the MSI Wind U120 within the next few months.

The U120 will have a 10 inch screen like the current Wind U100 model. But the chassis won’t have rounded edges, it will be a bit more angular and business-like. The netbook will be about the same size as the current generation, or possibly a hair larger.

At launch the Wind U120 will only be available with a hard drive option, but eventually MSI will offer an SSD option. It’s not clear what the storage capacity will be, but Tung seemed to hint that it could be somewhere between 20GB and 40GB.

The other thing that will set the Wind U120 apart from the Wind U100 is support for 3.5G wireless networking. Tung says the company is currently talking to US mobile providers. No final decision has been made on pricing yet, but the netbook will likely sell for $600 or less.

In other news, Tung confirms that MSI is adding features to the current generation of MSI WInd U100 models while cutting the price. For $480, you’ll soon be able to pick up an MSI netbook with a 6 cell battery, 160GB hard drive, and 802.11b/g/n wireless connectivity. Originally the MSI Wind U100 had a 3 cell battery, 80GB hard drive, and 802.11b and g, but no n. The company is also working with a national retailer so that the 3-cell version of the Wind will be available in bricks and mortar stores for $399 next week.

One final bit of news from the interview: MSI is selling between 150,000 and 250,000 Wind laptops per month. And the versions running Linux are returned 4 times as often as the models running Windows XP. You could use this as evidence that Linux isn’t ready for prime time and that netbooks won’t usher in widespread adoption of desktop Linux as many people had predicted. But it’s just as likely that MSI did a crappy job of loading a Linux distro onto the Wind laptops that are currently sold with Linux.

As Laptop Magazine’s Joanna Stern points out, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop software that comes with some versions of the Wind, including the U90 with its 8.9 inch display, doesn’t seem to work very well with the hardware. The computer’s webcam isn’t supported, WiFi is hard to set up, and the power management stinks.

MSI doesn’t plan to abandon Linux yet, since the open source operating system provides a way to help keep software licensing costs down on netbooks like the Wind. But Tung says the company is looking at alternate distributions, including a custom version of Ubuntu that has a “Mac OS type of look and feel.”

The MSI Wind U100 is certainly one of the most well-received netbooks of the summer. While it has the same specs as many other low-cost laptops (1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM and 80GB HDD), the computer is solidly built, has an easy to use keyboard, and gets decent battery life.

Now MSI officials are starting to look ahead to the next generation of the MSI Wind lineup. The company plans to introduce an MSI Wind U120 net year, which will feature the same 10 inch screen as the U100, but will have more RAM and possibly a faster CPU, if MSI can figure out how to implement one without sacrificing battery life.The most likely candidate for a new chip is the upcoming Intel Atom N330 dual core CPU. MSI appears to have considered using the upcoming VIA Nano processor, but decided against it.

The U100’s cousin, the U90 with its 8.9 inch display will also get the update treatment. The new model will likely be called the MSI Wind U91.

via Engadget