MSI Wind: A Black Horse in the Mini-Note Arena?

We’ve pitted the Asus Eee PC 901 against the HP 2133 Mini-Note before, and chances are, a lot of other people are thinking of these two mini-Titans as the strongest contenders in the arena. But perhaps there’s a black horse waiting in the wings, just waiting to seize the throne from the current ruler, Asus Eee PC, named the MSI Wind.

The 10-inch MSI Wind got an early review from CNET UK and managed to gain the reviewer’s favor. In fact, CNET proclaimed that the Wind was good enough that “it could take the throne from the Asus Eee PC as the best mini laptop on the planet.” The Wind is a tad larger than the current Eee PC models and at 1.3kg, a bit heavier. But it’s packed with features such as 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 3 USB ports, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 4-in-1 memory card reader, and Bluetooth connectivity. The processor specs are kept under wraps until tomorrow, but rumor is the Wind will run on the new Intel Shelton ’08 platform. After the 10-inch version’s release, MSI will allegedly be launching the MSI Wind in an 8.9-inch form although the same chassis would be used, so a chunky bezel should be expected. The Windows XP version will reportedly sell in the US$500 to $600 range, while the SUSE Linux variant has a price tag of US$399. Oh yeah, the MSI Wind, by the way, will also be launched on June 3, the same date as the Asus Eee PC 901 and 1000. How about you—which one do you favor?

Read CNET UK’s Review
Read Laptop Mag’s Review