wow

kinggamer

cool

The **MSI Wind U100** is a wonderful, tiny, tough laptop computer. I got a **Wind U100-439US** for my teenage daughter in December 2008 and have been admiring it ever since. It has been carried everywhere my daughter goes (including skating, biking, and the beach), it really has the advertised 3-hour battery life and has even survived a glass of milk!! (More about the spill & recovery at the end.)A little about the machine:The **MSI Wind U100** has a 10" (measured diagonally) widescreen 1026x600 pixel display that is very readable, a keyboard that is nearly standard-sized, and built-in WiFi (802.11b/g wireless), web-cam, microphone, and stereo speakers. It uses an Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor and has an SATA 120 GB hard drive and runs Windows XP Home. It reads SD, MMC, MS, and MS Pro cards, has 3 USB ports and a VGA video port. Not having a CD/DVD drive is a disadvantage, but with the USB and card ports and wireless or wired local networking, getting and sending files is easy. And it weighs only 2.3 pounds with the battery! ***Why I chose a "netbook" for my teenager:***I wanted a computer she could easily carry with her and "netbooks" are down-sized laptops. Their screens are typically 8" - 10" on the diagonal, and the whole computer is usually less than 8.5" by 11", and weighs 2 - 4 pounds. She needed a computer for schoolwork and wanted one for fun, and this was a good, economical answer. ***Reasons I liked it better than other netbooks:*** * Larger-than-usual for netbooks display, * Large keyboard with solid, springy feeling keys, * Long battery life (some MSI Wind models even come with a 9-cell, 9 hour battery), * Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz processor - not blazingly fast, but it has stood up to photo editing, web browsing, Video IM, Microsoft Word, and playing music all at once * 2.5" (normal notebook-sized) 120GB SATA hard drive, which means it's got more storage space (than a flash hard drive) and reduces the MSI Wind's cost, and it's upgradeable. * Comes with 1 GB of RAM memory, and is upgradable to 2 GB * Runs Windows XP Home operating system, which makes it more compatible with school computers. I use both Windows and Linux, but she does not like my Linux computer. * MSI (Micro Star International) makes desktop main boards that have excellent reviews and manufactures most of the parts for their computers. * Excellent user community at *msiwind.net* I don't have any photos of her **MIS Wind 100** before it was covered with stickers, but there are photos of it (outside & inside) at the *msiwind.net *site. This particular model has been discontinued, anyway, and photos of available MSI Wind netbooks are on the manufacurer's website, *www.msimobile.com*. ***The milk spill and cleanup saga:***My daughter spilled a glass of milk all over the keyboard. She did the first half of the rescue by immediately unplugging the AC power cord and removing the battery. She opened up the netbook and set it down with the hinges up (an upside-down V) so that the milk would not run into the computer any more than it had. I did the second half of the rescue by cleaning up. I took the keyboard and the base cover off, cleaned off the one drip of milk I saw on the main board (the large computer card that takes up most of the space in a laptop), unplugged and washed (yep - at the kitchen sink, under running water) the keyboard. We gave it a couple days for everything to dry off, put it back together, and it's working fine again.

TechieMom

Fort Myers, FL

The MSI Wind is a great netbook. Running XP, it's really nimble and has a beefy hard drive. The touchpad is really intelligently done and integrated well. The whole package just feels solid, even without a way to lock the keyboard closed. Battery life hasn't been bad for me, but I've always been paranoid about it. It was originally designed to give to my mother-in-law, but after spending over a week configuring it and setting up, I wanted to keep it for myself, so it stayed a bit longer. It's great for video conferencing with Skype or just running a handful of apps. It's not meant for games, but then again, you knew that. My biggest gripe is the web camera seems to be really flaky. Crapware is common with all laptops, but the camera drivers seems to disable itself and can be quite confusing to re-enable. Outside of the self-disabling webcam, I couldn't be any more pleased with the device. It just feels so professional and sturdy. I'd recommend it without any reservations.

M3wThr33

Los Angeles, CA

The MSI Wind is an amazing Netbook. I am a student at the University of California at Berkeley and I use it to take notes in lectures every day. It is very small and lightweight for easy transportation (does not take any more room than a notebook would in your backpack). However, even though it is small, it is still plenty big enough so that you will not hurt your eyes while typing notes. I was also a little skeptical of how well I would be able to type on such a small keyboard. While it took a while to get used to, after a few minutes of lecture, it feels no different from a regular keyboard. You get used to it very quickly. Also, the battery life is outstanding. It'll last you a good 5-6 hours if you turn off wifi, and a good 3-4 if you leave wifi on. The specs on the netbook are also very good. While it is not nearly powerful enough to play high-end PC games on it, it is perfect just for browsing internet or typing word documents. The case that it comes with is also good enough to protect the netbook from any minor damage. I wanted to buy a different case when I first bought it since I would think it would protect the netbook well enough, but I was wrong. I've been using this for over a year now with the same case that it came with, and the netbook is still in amazing condition. This netbook is perfect for what is, a very small laptop used just to take notes or browsing internet. If you can get it for a good price, then by all means get this netbook. However, newer models are coming out every few months, so this model is already fairly dated. I'm happy with it, but if you're looking for something newer then keep your eyes open for other models.  

Chubisov

San Francisco, CA

If you are in the market for a netbook, this is a great chioce. I needed a quick replacement when my laptop crashed and opted for a netbook. Unlike others, I DO miss the big screen. I got used to the smaller keyboard, but the screen just annoys me sometimes. Most times, I dont notice, but there a certain times when the screen just isn't big enough. The things I do love. It is so light. I still can't get over how light it is. It is so much easier to carry around. I have actually thrown it in my kids diaper bag before. My old laptop was big and heavy and I had to lug around a whole seperate bag for it. The battery life is amazing. My cell phone could learn a thing or two. The netbook is quite fast. Faster than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised. The screen is great. A nice clear picture that doesn't give me headaches, like some computer screens. I also have enjoyed watching movies streaming from the internet. The only bad thing I could say about that experience is the speakers. The sound just would not get loud enough. I had a terrible time hearing. I learned my lesson, and it was an easy fix with a pair of headphones. I also must mention, that this netbook has taken quite a beating by my toddler and you would never know it.

pinkyep

Charlotte, NC

I slaved over reviews for netbooks when I was in the market for one. And I mean slaved. It was pretty much all I did during my waking hours -- read up on netbook specs and reviews. So I had some pretty high hopes for the msi wind when I bought it in spring of '08. They have lived up to and exceeded them. It feels bizarre to me that I've had it so long without any problems. I've not noticed my wind chugging or doing anything that my computer can't do-- but then again, I don't try to make it do anything too crazy. It does what I want it to do and it does it well. If you're looking for a device with full on computer capabilities, and need to do things like play intense games and watch dvds, then you should pass on a netbook like this. But if you're looking for something to fiddle around with while you watch TV, or bring with you when you're packing light on vacation, or just going to the closest starbucks, then you need to get an MSi wind. 

Calisa

Columbus, OH

The MSI wind is a great netbook.  I've used it for over a year and it's still working great.  Can't say the same for HP or Asus, I find those to slow down a lot over time.  When buying the netbook, I compared price, specifications, and took advice from another friend who already owned an MSI.  The specifications match up or exceed others in the same price point. An Atom processor is absolutely necessary.   It has a 10" screen and the keyboard is bigger than some of the competition, which I like.  It has stereo speakers and wifi capability.  It's only about 2 lbs.  It has the intel Atom270 at 1.6GHz.  1 gig ram and a 160GB hard drive.  It has a camera so you can vid conference without the addition of a webcam.     The MSI wind is still quick and still gets the job done.  I am an engineer and this product gets my thumbs up.  I would recommend the latest model, my friend gets 3x the battery life that mine gets.  Same form factor.  

supadupap

Los Angeles, CA

I fell in love with my msi wind u100. It has plenty of space and does what I need. It even plays movies, I just love it. I got the white one which is more of an off white than bright white. I have the xp version. I wish I could have afforded the love edition, very cute. Despite the lower size processor it is pretty fast. When this one quits I will purchase another. for sure. Its a great netbook for the price and I think you will love it.. It is very easy to open up to add ram. the only problem I found with it is when you type, if you do not turn off the fuction button for the touch pad your curser will move all over the place, but if you hit fnc 3 then it is ok. msi needs to fix that. the touch pad is very sensitive so I use a mini mouse at home. I love it and will buy anothr one if it goes out. I have owned mine for 1 year.

luna41599

Joliet, IL

A fantastic little laptop that serves all the purposes a casual user would need while out and about.  Wireless and bluetooth build in, available with a spacious hard drive and enough memory to run any applications.  Sturdy and easy to carry, this model slips quitly into most any bag, even those NOT made for laptops.  Near full sized keyboard will have you typing full speed in no time.  Available with 6 and 9 cell batteries this laptop will run for upwards of 8 or 9 hours without recharging.  All in all a great buy.

fliberdygibits

Harlingen, TX

I bought an MSI wind U100 about two month ago for my general use at home. The design's cute, super portable, and works well for internet surfing and general office work. At home, it works pretty well as a home PC with an external moniter, or if you've already got the 1st desktop PC and need a 2nd one with mobility, it's a perfect one. I've tested some of the graphic softwares(photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver etc.), but it's a little too heavy for 1GB memory. I would recommend to upgrade the memory to 2GB if you plan to run heavy programs or play games.

desertsoul

Mesa, AZ