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MSI is planning to hit India’s netbook market hard in the near future, according to company representatives. It will deliver not only Atom netbooks but AMD-powered machines as well.

Their lineup is impressive – four netbooks, starting at Rs19,000, and ten notebooks starting at Rs38,000. MSI is adding hi-def displays to many of the netbooks, replacing the Intel chips with AMD CPUs to bypass Intel’s restrictions on certain displays used in netbooks. Samsung did a similar thing with its NC20 netbook last year.

Frank Hsu of MSI explained what MSI means to accomplish in India:

“We are targeting sales of around 60,000 to 80,000 units in India in 2010.”

MSI’s figures in India last year were between 12k and 15k.

Via DnaiIndia.

Two more versions of the MSI Wind netbook were recently spotted on the FCC’s website. The model numbers for these netbooks are MS-1241 and MS-1243. One model has an 11.6″ screen display while the other has a 12.1″ screen display and both are equipped with AMD processors. The MS-1243 netbook may actually be the MSI Wind U230 that is going through its final checkup before being confirmed for release.

Some other tech specs for the MSI Wind netbooks include b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G WAN, a multicard reader, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI out, and VGA out. A TV tuner will be optional. The OS is assumed to be Windows 7, as Windows XP is quickly being phased out. The overall weight for these netbooks will fall around 3 pounds.

Via NewNetbookReviews.

AMD has been keeping Congo in the works for the release of Windows 7 as a competitor to Intel’s Atom, but it will soon be rearing its ultraportable head in the soon-to-be-released MSI Wind 12 U230.  With a 12.1” monitor, it’s no netbook, but it packs a solid punch while staying under three pounds, though you may be able to clear three pounds if you order the six-cell-battery instead of the three.

It’s that exciting.

Specifically, the punch will contain up to 4 GB of RAM, up to 320 GB of hard drive space, and a 1366×768 screen resolution, along with the Congo platform, designed for multimedia usage and longer batter life, all in a package only 0.9-1.2” thick.

Via TechReport and Engadget.

WiMax is the newest generation of high-speed wireless communications technology and MSI has spent an extraordinary amount of R&D resources on developing this fourth generation wireless technology for their netbooks and notebooks especially.

MSI has announced that they are the first company in the world to release a netbook that’s able to support WiMax – the MSI Wind U120.

In addition to the U120 netbook, MSI’s X-Slim X340 and X600 laptops featuring CULV platforms are the first Taiwan-based brand to receive the WiMax Forum Certification.

Via LegitReviews.

The MSI Wind U110 ECO netbook may not necessarily be a super netbook, but it no doubt is equipped with a super battery. This 10″ netbook (with screen resolution of 1024×600) that features a 1.60GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor and a 160 GB hard drive boasts a battery that lasts for a whopping 13+ hours!

The U110 netbook is also equipped with two speakers, a high-definition webcam, a built-in microphone, and Bluetooth. It’s currently available for $429.99.

Via ChipChick.

Why wait for MSI to officially release the MSI Wind U210 that’s been available in Europe when you can pre-order it on Amazon right this instant?

The 12.1″ U210 netbook has an LCD display with 1366×768 resolution, is powered by a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 CPU and an ATI Radeon X1250 GPU, and has 2 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive – not bad specs at all for a netbook. Like many other netbooks, this device also has b/g/n Wi-Fi, an HDMI port, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam.

The U210 has a six-celled battery, which supposedly allows the netbook up to five hours of runtime. Dimensions of this machine are 7.4″x11.7″x1.2″ and it weighs roughly 3.2 pounds.

It’s available for pre-order from Amazon for $429.99 in both black and white, so if you’re interested, click here to place an order for black or here to place an order for white.

Via MarksTechnologyNews.

For those eager to get their hands on the MSI Wind U200 netbook, your wait is almost over. According to Fudzilla, this 12″ netbook will be included in price lists of some European retailers starting next week, with prices rumored to be around 499 Euros.

For this price, you’d be getting a version of the netbook with a 12.1″ screen and a resolution of 1366×768. The U200 will feature an Intel CULV 723 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB hard drive.

Other tech specs of this particular netbook include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, two video outputs (HDMI and VGA), and three USB ports.

The netbook’s dimensions are approximately 29.7×19x3.1cm. Including the standard 6-cell battery, The U200 weighs roughly 1.5 kg.

Via NetbookNews.

While many have extolled the virtues of Hackintosh netbooks, not everybody exalts them so. While Brian Chen of Wired likely struggled long and hard to mod his Hackintosh, he’s finally retired it (after 6 months of use) to the quiet life of a pet webcam.

Deeming the Hackintosh impractical, he decided it would be better suited to monitoring his “five-week-old kitten Cuddy” using a $5 iPhone app – iCam – allowing him to remotely access the camera feed. And while hundreds of netbookers are out there struggling to hack MSI Wind netbooks to run Mac OS X, Chen is busy spying on his cat.

Hey, if it works, it works. Now will Apple hurry up with its netbook already?

Via Wired.

For those always on the go, ultraportables and netbooks are a godsend. While ultraportables have full-sized keyboards, larger screens, and faster processors though, they also sport a much heftier price tag! Netbooks are generally priced at less than $500 and can perform basic everyday functions, including checking e-mail and surfing the Internet and preparing documents. The downsides to netbooks are that they have relatively smaller screens, keyboards, and processors.

Here is a comparison of the weights of some common netbooks in the market right now:

Via Los Angeles Times.

Previously, the MSI Wind had to be pre-ordered, but starting today, the red and blue models of the MSI Wind are available for purchase in stores within the US.

The tech specs for this netbook include: a 10.2″ LCD screen with 1024×600 resolution, an Intel Atom N280 processor (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 667MHz frontside bus), 1 GB of memory, a 160 GB hard drive, an Intel GMA950 integrated graphics card, Windows XP , and a 6-cell battery.

Prices for this netbook currently range from $350 to $380.

Via MaximumPC.

For netbook users who do not want to drop big bucks on purchasing an Apple iMac or MacBook, being able to convert a netbook to a “Hackintosh” sounds like it would be a good idea. Two netbooks that are commonly used in this process are the Dell Mini 9 and the MSI Wind.

For Dell Mini 9 owners, instructions for converting your netbook into a Hackintosh (and more specifically, one that you don’t have to worry about losing since all personal data is kept in a location other than on the local hard drive) can be found here.

For MSI Wind owners, instructions on how to install the OS X operating system on this device can be found here. There has been discussion that a new Wi-Fi card would be needed to be installed on the Wind in order for it to operate correctly, but there has actually been an update to this.

Realtek (the manufacturer of the Wi-Fi cards in MSI Wind netbooks) has released an OS X driver for its Wi-Fi module. More details on this driver and where to obtain it can be found here. There will be no more need to switch out the existing Wi-Fi card in the Wind netbook.

Via Make, JKOnTheRun, and Wired.

Images via LaptopPimp, CNet, and GadgetArena.

As was hinted earlier, MSI is planning to release a new and improved version of its classic netbook, the MSI Wind U100. The new MSI Wind U100 PLUS makes use of the 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 and is coming in a host of skins including “Imperial Black, Angelic White and Regal Red, two brand new colors (Rose Champagne and Metallic Blue).”

The rest of the MSI Wind U100 PLUS is generally what you’d expect – 2 GB (thankfully) of DDR2 RAM, a 10-inch 1024 x 600 LCD display, a 160 GB HDD, 4-in-1 card reader, VGA, Ethernet, three USB 2.0 slots and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. Check out the full specs below from Hot Hardware:

Pricing and release info aren’t available yet but MSI knows how to play the netbook market and is sure to keep the cost low.

Via HotHardware.

Netbook graphics have experienced swift developments in the recent past, with the boosts in HD capability and NVIDIA Ion platform being highlights. MSI is beginning to take steps in the direction of other manufacturers with the release of its latest netbook: the MSI Wind U110 Eco.

The changes to the newest member of the MSI Wind family come in the form of a 2 GB RAM option, an Intel Atom Z530 chip, a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 GPU, and the unexpected Intel Poulsbo US15W chipset.

The Poulsbo is usually found on MIDs rather than netbooks, but the ATI Mobility Radion HD3200 has been implanted into both desktops and notebooks for notable graphical success. The addition of this powerhouse means the MSI Wind U110 Eco netbook will handle just about any kind of HD video out there. Gaming on the netbook might not be glorious, but movies will look spicy fine and that’s something we can all get excited about.

The netbook has appended ‘Eco’ to the end of its title for a few economical and ecofriendly adjustments to the standard formula seen in older models. The U110 supposedly cranks a godly 9 hours of juice out of a miniscule 3-cell battery, an outstanding ratio of dubious truth. Some of the other machines I’ve heard of boasting numbers even close to that have been interesting in theory, but merely smirk-worthy in their execution. The 10-cell battery designed for the ASUS Eee PC, for example, weighed more than the netbook itself!

However, MSI’s Wind U110 Eco is anything but a joke. The display packs 1024×600 pixels into its 10-inch screen, along with a 1.3 or 2-inch integrated webcam. You get Bluetooth, wireless internet, a 4-in-1 card reader, and either Windows XP Home or Vista Basic for the OS.

MSI has announced that the U110 Eco has the biggest netbook keyboard released thus far, with ample space for the trackpad as well.

We expect the new MSI netbook to hit the market in the $400-$500 range, which goes towards the HD video capability, ATI graphics, and nine hours of battery life. If MSI delivers everything it says it will through this netbook, the bar will be knocked up quite a few notches for machines to come.

Via TomsHardware.

According the recent sales figures by Dell, the Inspiron Mini 9 netbook running Ubuntu Linux has been remarkably successful and experienced supremely low return-rates.

Unfortunately, MSI has been returned a great deal of its netbooks by consumers. A few months ago its MSI Wind netbooks running SuSE Linux brought in return rates four times greater than those of Wind netbooks running XP.

Dell’s Jay Pinkert, however, is pleased with Linux sales: “A third of our Mini 9 mix is Linux, which is well above the standard attach rate for other systems that offer Linux.” He thinks the growth of Linux netbooks by Dell is due to competitive pricing on Ubuntu SKUs. To Dell senior produce manager John New, price is key:

“When you look at the sweet spot for this category it is price sensitivity, and Linux enabled us to offer a lower price entry point.”

The extra energy Dell puts into explaining what Linux is may dissuade less savvy consumers from instantly going for the lower price, leading to the low return rates. In addition, the Mini 9 has a nice new graphical user interface for easier netbooking, which may contributed as well.

Via LaptopMag.

LG has broken into the netbook market with a new snazzy netbook called the LG X110.

Don’t worry, you aren’t alone – pretty much everyone is noting how it looks exactly like an MSI Wind netbook. What LG has fortunately added is integrated 3G. Otherwise it’s the same old, same old – Intel Atom N270 CPU , 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive. You can get it for free if you get one of a number of mobile broadband deals over in the UK.

The X110 has been praised for a solid keyboard and a better casing than the MSI Wind. Not everything is great though – the display is only decent, and the touchpad has been criticized for being smaller-than-necessary.

The LG X110 netbook will cost you around $406 without integrated 3G. If you get the ‘free’ netbook-with-contract deal, however, you’ll have dropped a frightening $977 after the two year agreement. Of course, you get 3G mobile broadband with that as well. Buy wisely!

Via SlashGear.

CNet recently published a test of the now-available Windows 7 beta on a netbook.

Windows 7 has been rumored to work very well with computer systems using the Intel Atom, to contrast with Vista which as seemed sluggish. The one exception to this is the Sony Vaio P, which uses an Atom but bumps RAM up to 2 GB.

They installed the beta on “a typical netbook,” which according to the pictures was an MSI Wind, but we wish they’d specified the model. The only initial problem with booting the OS was that it didn’t detect the wireless card, but that was resolved.

CNet’s iTunes benchmark test found, in fact, similar scores to the same test evaluating Windows XP. XP was actually a bit faster, completing the test in 743 seconds as compared with Windows 7’s 760.

According to “anecdotal use,” however, CNet reports that the Windows 7 interface “responded quicker and hung less frequently than Vista.”

The question remains: is Windows 7 really a legitimate option for netbooks? Microsoft is rumored to be working on a netbook-specific version of Windows 7, an interesting prospect, so XP may be retired in the near future.

Via CNet.

Recently, some tinkering netbookers decided to overclock an MSI Wind U100 to see if it matched up to its European counterpart, the U90, as well as some other netbooks out there such as the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 and ASUS Eee PC 1000H.

The results? As 25% increase in performance in terms of bandwidth, as well as some admirable boosts to memory latency. What does this mean for netbooks? Overclocking an MSI Wind U100 now makes it “the fastest netbook currently available”, according to the experiment.

Check out this graph from the experiment, in which lower scores indicate better processing power:

These numbers are astounding, and definitely earn the Wind U100 some respect. Be sure to check out the full article at HotHardware.com.

In addition to running well on netbooks with 1.6GHz Intel Atom processors including the MSI Wind U100 and the Asus Eee PC 1000H, Windows 7 also works pretty well on the Eee PC 900 too. There’s an online tutorial made by multimolti explaining how to install Windows 7 on an Eee PC 900 using a USB flash drive.

[via Blogeee]

Don’t feel like waiting for Apple to get around to making its own netbook? Do it yourself!

Despite some recent hints that Apple will be in the industry soon, some impatient users have gone ahead figured out how to run Mac OS on their netbooks. To help, Wired.com recently featured a tutorial on how to get an illegal copy of the OS and the tools required to use it. Not that we’re encouraging that, of course. Mess with Apple at your own risk!

One writer at Wired successfully installed Mac OS X on his MSI Wind. Check out the video:

If you’re going to go all out you’d also need a Mac-compatible headphone jack, USB port, and Wi-Fi . Wired has some stuff posted for that too.

Their post is available here.