MSI at CES: Wind U115/U120, NetOn PC, entertainment & gaming laptops

If you thought that MSI would allow CES to pass it by without unleashing a veritable smorgasbord of new kit upon us, you’re dead wrong. For starters, the company will be showcasing its Wind U115 and U120 netbooks for the first time in the public eye at CES, and those oh-so-intriguing NetOn all-in-one machines we spotted overseas will also be making their US debut. Said rigs will arrive in 16-, 19- and 22-inch flavors, and it’s expected that Intel’s dual-core Atom will be powering the trio. Carrying on, we’ve got the EX625 and EX623 entertainment lappies joining the EX family with inbuilt subwoofers and Blu-ray drives, and the GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420 will all be sliding into the gamer-centric GX line. Finally, MSI will be demonstrating its first “eco-friendly carbon fiber concept gaming notebook,” so we’ll definitely be sashaying over to wrap our paws around that. Head past the break for the full release.
MSI US Announces 2009 Product Lineup
MSI at CES – South Hall 4 # 35638 and at
CES Unveiled in the Venetian Ballroom at the Sands EXPO
Tuesday 1/6 4PM
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – January 5, 2009 – MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is excited to announce it CES 2009 Product Lineup. MSI will be displaying its newest additions to the Wind Netbook U-Series, the MSI “NetOn” All-in-One line, new G-Series Gaming Notebooks, and the latest versions of E-Series Entertainment Notebooks.
U-Series – Following the highly successful launch of the Wind U100 Netbook in 2008, MSI will be displaying the much anticipated Wind U115 and U120 Netbooks of the first time at CES 2009. The U115, is the world’s first netbook capable of simultaneously running SSD and HDD. By implementing the latest in hybrid storage technology, the U115 provides users with a reliable, shock-absorbent, speedy operating environment and boasts a 6-cell 12-hour battery when operating in Eco mode.
Weighing in at just under 3 pounds, the U120 is designed for portability without sacrificing performance. The Wind U120 features Intel® WiMAX Technology or a 3.5G Solution (optional), offering users the ability to connect in more places and work online at faster speeds. The U120′s stylish new case is white with black accents, giving it a sleek look that will be appealing to both business travelers and students alike.
Wind NetOn – MSI will display 16″, 19″ and 22″ versions of the new All-In-One Wind NetOn line at CES. The AE1901 model is the world’s first All-In-One to be equipped with the Intel® dual-core Atom processor, which improves operational performance and conserves energy. The AE1901′s power consumption is only 20% of that of a normal PC (250W). Its super thin appearance, wall-hung design, 16:9 HD display, touch screen and optional wireless connection will make it one of the most talked about products at CES.
G-Series – MSI will also be exhibiting the newest additions to its G-Series Gaming Notebook line at CES. This includes the GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420 – MSI’ first 14″ model which features a 16:9 screen. MSI is especially excited to demonstrate GT725 and GT727, the first two models to break the 10,000 point 3Dmark barrier. MSI will also introduce the world to its first eco-friendly Carbon-Fiber Concept Gaming Notebook.
E-Series – MSI will also be launching two new versions of the advanced E-series Notebooks – EX625 and EX623. These new models feature ATI Radeon HD4670 video cards, a subwoofer, Dolby Surround II capabilities, 16:9 cinema-level displays, and Blue-ray optical drives.
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MSI unveils ultra-thin X-Slim 320
MSI has unveiled the 13.4-inch X-Slim 320 (is that you, U300?), which at 1.98cm and about 2.87 pounds puts it just a teensy bit lighter and thicker than its Cupertino-born doppelganger, and comes with either a 4 or 8 cell battery that lasts up to 10 hours. The company provides no specs in its presser, but our cohorts at Engadget Chinese were at an MSI pre-CES event and report that we’re looking at a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 1366 x 768 resolution, up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3.5G network card, three USB ports, an Ethernet port, VGA output, and an all-in-one card reader, and according to Crave it might be using the NVIDIA Ion platform. It’s coming second quarter of 2009 for about $800 — we’ll see it for ourselves later this week.
Read – MSI press release
Read – Crave report
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MSI U115 Hybrid SSD / HDD netbook unleashed

MSI’s officially launched the U115 Hybrid netbook we saw not too long ago, which can operate both SSD and HDD drives at the same time. The 10-inch (1024 x 600 resolution) laptop primarily uses the SSD, reserving the HDD for storage, and boasts an “Eco Mode” button which will temporarily disconnect the HDD to save power. The hybrid functions should provide both a faster OS and longer battery life — but we’ll wait till the test results are in to form our opinions. If you’ve forgotten, spec-wise the U115′s got a 1.60GHz Intel Atom CPU, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, plus 8GB SSD / 80GB HDD, 16GB SSD / 120GB HDD, and 32GB SSD / 160GB HDD storage options, and a 2 megapixel webcam. No word on pricing or release date for this bad boy yet. We’ll keep our eyes peeled. Read
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MSI Wind desktop now available in Japan
Remember that thrifty MSI Wind Desktop that came out here in August? A slightly meatier version — which looks like the one that was supposed to be out in September — is now available in Japan. The CD100-JP Nettop still lacks a hard drive, RAM and operating system, but it’s now equipped with a slot-loading drive and a snazzy white finish in addition to that 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 and 11.8 x 9.5 x 2.6-inch case. It’s currently selling for 26,000 yen, or about $290. Still no word on a US release — last we heard it wasn’t gonna happen, but we can’t keep wishing. Read
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Mac OS on a netbook? Here’s the compatibility list.
Who needs Psystar?
Apple says it’s had “pretty interesting ideas” for a Mac netbook, but it’s everyday users who’ve already taken action. Due to their similar technical underpinnings, most of the popular netbooks can run OS X, but there are plenty of caveats: non-functioning components which lack drivers and need to be replaced—or which simply can’t be gotten to at all.
Unfortunately, the Googles are choked with info, and much of it’s out of date. I’d like to maintain a one-look chart to help people figure out out if their netbook (or one they’ve got their eye on) will run it well enough to their needs.
The short answer: get an MSI Wind or Dell Mini 9. Thanks to new WiFi drivers (direct download), the Wind runs the whole show out the can.
Now, I’m 100 percent sure this first version has errors and omissions: post updates and corrections to the comment.
If you’re thinking about making yourself a Hackintosh, know that it’s still not a no-brainer. For starters, standard OS X disks won’t work: you’ll need to grab a hacked version of it from the tubes. This contravenes Apple’s EULA, even if you own a legal copy. The following guides also generally require an external DVD drive and familiarity with the terminal.
How To Guides:
Running Mac OS X on a Netbook: Guide, Tips, Tutorial, Walkthrough [Ditii]
Run Mac OS X on an Eee PC [Wired]
Installing OSX on Eee 1000h [Wikidot]
OS X For the Eee PC 901 and 1000H [Mac Eee]
Install OS X on the MSI Wind [Make]
Guide to Installing OS X on a Lenovo Ideapad s10 [Netbook Tech]
OSX on a Samsung NC10 [Wired]
Again, corrections and updates are most welcome!
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MSI releases Mac OS X Wi-Fi drivers for the Wind netbook
Seeing that the need for a warranty-voiding Wi-Fi module switch was the only thing keeping users from easily making convincing mini-MacBooks, MSI has semi-released OS X wireless drivers for the Wind.
After pelting MSI with unlikely requests for OS X driver support, a number of users on the MSIWind.net forums have received responses from the company, written in the “Dear Sir/Madam” parlance of a Nigerian scammer but nevertheless containing an early version of working Wi-Fi drivers for the Wind’s Realtek RTL8187SE Wi-Fi module. The driver doesn’t allow the card to be used like a regular Airport adapter, but according to users connects just fine through Realtek client software.
Forum-goers are floating copies on a couple of ephemeral hosting sites, so head over to the thread and give it a shot. [MSIWind Forums via GottaBeMobile]
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