One of the obvious advantages of netbooks are their size. They are very portable and can be used just as much on the move as well as at a desk. But to be used on the move you need a battery and a battery that only lasts an hour or so kinda of kills the idea of a netbook. Many netbooks have great battery life, but MSI have just launched the new MSI Wind U110 ECO with a reported battery life of 15+ hours!
When fitted with the 9 cell battery, MSI are claiming that the lightweight (under 1.5kg) and relatively thin (a little over 3 centimetres at its widest point) U1100 ECO will last a whole week of travelling back and forth from work without a recharge.
Other specifications for this small machine are fairly standard for a netbook. It comes with a 1.60GHz Intel Atom processor, a 160GB HDD, 1GB of memory and all the usual ports for USB, sound and Ethernet.
The ultra mobile U110 also features a 10" 1024×600 backlit LCD, a high definition (1.3 megapixel) web cam, 2 speakers and a built-in mic. At the moment it ships with Windows XP (which will work great with the 1GB provided) or Windows Vista Home Basic (which won’t). Thankfully, it will support Windows 7 when it comes out in less than a month.
One other great feature of the U110 ECO is that it supports the newly ratified ‘n’ wireless standard giving better WiFi performance and greater distances.
In an already crowded netbook market the MSI Wind U110 ECO do well if the battery life is a good as reported.
Prices in the USA are around $400 for the base model and as yet UK prices haven’t been disclosed but they are expected to be announced soon.