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MSI has come a long way.  From a little known Taiwanese brand, it has gained a foothold in the netbook market with its famed Wind line.  Now, 4 of its latest notebook models are ready for shipping.  They are dubbed the “Classic Series” and we mentioned them during our CES coverage last month. Here are the final specs on some of their siblings:

Other standard features include 1.3 megapixel webcam, multicard reader, VGA/HDMI out, 3 USB 2.0 Ports, Ethernet, and 802.11b/g/n. Unfortunately, the 32-bit OS is a let down, seeing as the 64-bit transition is now a fact of life for all companies and most of the laptops use 4 GB of RAM.

If you are still interested, go check your favorite tech supplier to purchase.

Via AnandTech

MSI is taking advantage of the latest Intel Atom Pine Trail CPU with it’s Wind U135 netbook. The MSI Wind has a 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and of course, the 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 running Windows 7 Starter Edition. The screen measures 10.1 inches with 1024×600 resolution and the Wind has an Integrated Intel GMA 3150 to take advantage of it. There’s also a six-cell battery option which delivers up to 7.5 hours of life.

The chiclet-style keyboard is designed well, with decent spacing between the keys for comfortable typing. The touchpad, though attractive in the aesthetic sense, is a bit on the small side and does not support multi-touch. Furthermore, while the keyboard keys may give you that satisfying feeling when you type on them, the mouse button unfortunately does not. The LCD screen is LED-backlit and does not skip or lag in full-screen mode, and the speakers are acceptable by netbook standards: high max volume but low sound quality.

Via ComputerShopper and InformationWeek, image via Engadget.

MSI’s “Classic” series has commonly been known as MSI’s budget line of notebooks, lacking a fancy exterior or other premium characteristics.  That isn’t stopping MSI, however, from putting Intel’s brand new line of  Core i Series CPUs in three C-line models: the CX420, CR420, and CR720.

Overall there isn’t much difference between the three laptops. The CX420 and CR420 will come with relatively plain 1366×768 14″ screens, while the CR720 will have a much larger 1600 x 900 17″ screen.  In addition, the CX420 will have the special honor of getting a discrete ATI Radeon HD5470 for graphics with 1 GB dedicated VRAM.  Other than that, expect vanilla features across the board.

Still, despite the lack of aesthetics or exceptional screen resolution, these may still be products worth watching.  Equipped with Core-is, the MSI C-series computers will most likely be more powerful budget laptops than their mainstream American counterparts.  Pricing will be key.

Via Gizmodo, image via MSI.

Word on the net says that MSI’s much-anticipated dual-monitor netbook, first seen at CES 2010, will be making an appearance on store shelves within a few months.

The netbook packs two 10″ monitors, one of which can be used as a keyboard with haptic feedback. While initial expectations were that MSI’s dual-screen netbook would run Windows 7, an interview with LaptopMag reveals that it could actually end up running the Google Chrome OS.

MSI says it will launch the netbook with 4.5 hours of battery life and e-reader capabilities. They may also add in a 7″ version of the tablet netbook by the time the original is released in Q3 or Q4.

As can be expected, info on pricing is not yet available, but I’m sure MSI will be doing its best to get the word out once a few more months go by.

Via I4U, image via Engadget.

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.

MSI is planning to ship the MSI U135 netbook with Moblin, a version of Linux, according to a recent press release.

Moblin, like Android, was originally intended for mobile phones but netbooks have benefitted from its expansion into a netbook and tablet OS. Version 2.1 is the one we’ll be seeing in the MSI U135, the version that Intel and Novell optimized for netbooks.

Intel Business Director of Open Source Software Ram Peddibhotla says that “The Moblin project has the potential to become an accessible and widely used computing platform,” and we can’t help but agree, considering the wide variety of excellent features found in the OS.

The MSI U130 has a 10.1-inch screen and the Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail CPU, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250 gig HDD.

Shipping in February 2010, the MSI U135 running Moblin should cost less than its Windows counterpart.

Via Nexus404.

MSI has demonstrated a few prototype computers at CES 2010 so far, including two new dual-screen netbooks – a strange category we’ve seen a few times before that hasn’t really been explored in the netbook arena.

The new MSI dual-screen netbooks have touchscreen LCDs, but won’t be used in the manner of the Kohjinsha DZ. Instead, the screens are hinged notebook-style – you can use one as a touchscreen keyboard while operating the other as a laptop display, or you can turn the whole thing on its side and use it like an e-reader

The prototype dual-screen machines come in 10-inch and 7-inch varieties. The netbooks run Intel Menlow CPUs and Windows 7, allowing for 32 GB or 64 GB of solid-state storage.

If they’re ever officially launched, MSI has stated that they will be more expensive than traditional netbooks, though that’s what we expected. MSI also showed off a traditional 10-inch ebook reader at CEs 2010, running Google Android and the Nvidia Tegra.

Via NetworkWorld.

We’ve got about a week left before the January 7 Vegas Consumer Electronics Show 2010, where the latest  netbooks and more will be shown off by all the top retailers. MSI has already released a few tidbits about its upcoming U-series netbooks – the iF Product Design Award winning Wind U160 and the U135, another Wind netbook.

The most information has been released about the MSI Wind U135, which comes with a 1024 x 600 pixel 10-inch LED screen and in four different colors: Trendy Blue, Refined Silver, Cherry Red, and Wind Dancer Black. It will feature a redesigned chiclet keyboard with Color Film Print coating on the exterior, offering “the U135 scratch-resistant and anti-wear properties that keep it looking new after a long period of use… [giving] the entire exterior a sparkling and high quality feel.”

It sounds like a pretty machine, and we’ve only a few more days to wait before we can see what MSI really means to bring to the table in 2010. Get excited.

Via LegitReviews.

All kinds of netbooks running the new Intel Atom N450 Pineview chipset have been surfacing today, starting with the new edition of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and then the Fujitsu Lifebook  MH380. MSI is following their announcements with releases of its own – the MSI Wind U130 and U135 netbooks running the N450 processor.

Supposedly, they will be the first netbooks to achieve international WiMax certification. This is a notable step for the netbook world, which has been pushing ever-harder for increased connectivity.Bat

The hardware changes on the new machine should be conservative but much appreciated – a 15% improvement in battery life, 10-inch LCD screens, a webcam, memory card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and optional 3.5G mobile broadband. Storage options include 160 GB and 250 GB hard disk drives.

Furthermore, the pricing for these new machines isn’t bad at all – £229 ($367) for the U130 and £279 ($447) for the U135.

Via SlashGear.

MSI will soon be launching a new line of larger netbooks in the near future, both of which will run AMD processors. The new machiens are the MSI MS-1243 and MSI MS-1241, which recently showed up on the FCC.

These netbooks should be making an appearance by 2010 with 1366×768 pixel screens in 12.1-inch and 11.6-inch varieties. They are rumored to include 3G mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, HDMI, and a TV tuner for an enhanced multimedia experience. Both will run the AMD Athlon Neo CPU.

The MS-1243 and -1241 are also expected to run Windows 7 and a momentous 4 GB of RAM. 250 GB hard drives could be on the way as well, which is great. Both machines will start with 3-cell batteries with the possibility of an upgrade.

Pricing and availability info are unknown for now, but if I had to guess I’d put the MSI MS-1243 and MS-1241 netbooks in the $500-$600 range, due to their huge RAM and other options.

Via TheLink.

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.

The date has been confirmed: you’ll be able to get your hands on the all-new Atom N450 line of netbooks from ASUS, Acer, Lenovo and MSI on January 11th, 2009. The new Atom netbook CPU was going to be here in December, but manufacturers have been holding off at Intel’s request.

However, in an effort to not overshoot consumer demand,  most vendors will only stock ‘conservative’ numbers of the new machines. These netbooks will be coming on a wider variety of operating systems than in the past – Moblin, Windows 7, and Windows XP have been mentioned, and everyone is still holding his breath for the Google Chrome OS. Word has it that if you buy a Moblin or XP netbook in January, you can upgrade to Chrome for free by the March release of the Intel Atom N470.

Via I4U.

Last week, MSI introduced a new netbook prototype showing what it hopes to bring consumers in the near future. It’s called the Wind12 U230, and it rocks up to 4 GB of RAM, an integrated Radeon HD3200 GPU, a SATA hard drive in capacities ranging up to 320 GB as well as Windows 7 Home Premium. Other features include HDMI out, Ethernet, and 3 USBs. This isn’t a netbook to be messed with.

The surface area of the keyboard has expanded while restricting the device to 11.7″ x 7.5″. It’s still light at 1.3 kg. Its 3 cell battery runs for over 4 hours, and while I’d hoped we’d be getting a 6-cell option as well there’s no word on that just yet.

MSI is starting to truly bridge the gap between netbooks and notebooks. This machine will definitely be able to play games you’d otherwise be unable too, though the price tag will likely be high enough to justify what it gets you.

Pricing and availability are unknown for now, but we’ll be on it when the info’s out there.

Via Techspot.

Claiming that it’s this year’s “showpiece” of the netbook world, MSI has recently introduced the Wind12 U230 netbook. Not unjustly named the “showpiece” of the year, this masterpiece of a netbook features a dual-core CPU, an integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 GPU, and the capacity for 4 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive. The Wind12 netbook also has an HDMI output port, Ethernet, and three USB ports, and ships with Windows 7 Home Premium. Might as well call it a laptop, no?

MSI has also expanded the surface of the keyboard to cater to users’ needs of comfort. Overall, the Wind12 netbook weighs roughly 1.3 kg, including a 3-cell battery that holds about four hours of juice. Overall, not bad specs compared to other netbooks, considering its performance capabilities.

Via TechSpot.

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.

MSI is releasing its new U210 netbook to Canadian retailers. It’s been available in the States since September 2009.

The MSI Wind U120 netbook has a 12.1-inch, 1366 x 768 pixel HD-capable screen. It runs for four hours -  weak considering that it runs a 6-cell battery. This is likely due to the 1.6 GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 chip replacing the traditional Intel Atom.

The netbook has otherwise standard specs – 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB HDD, a 1.3 megapixel camera, HDMI out, 3 USBs, VGA, and a card reader. It comes in black, blue, and white.

Via DeviceMag.

MSI has recently announced a laptop that it claims to be the world’s most powerful gaming laptop. Boasting Intel’s quad-core processor, the GT640 will also have a 1 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 graphics chipset as well as the opportunity to add up to 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. The laptop will also offer half a terabyte of storage space, a Blu-ray burner, HDMI, 7.1 channel audio output, eSATA input, and a two megapixel webcam.

Since the laptop will feature Windows 7, it will probably be released around the end of October (October 22nd is the rumored release date). There’s currently no news about pricing on this alumnium alloy-framed laptop, but we’ll let you know the deets when we hear.

Via Engadget.

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.