MSI Wind U123-002US 10.2-Inch Red Netbook - 6 Cell Battery Review

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(More customer reviews)My main computer is a Toshiba Satellite laptop with a 17" screen, and it is a pain (literally) to carry everywhere. So after much research, I decided to buy the MSI Wind U123 (in red). After a few days of using it, I can say that I am pleased with my decision so far. MSI may be a lesser known brand, but they make great little netbooks.
Immediate improvements: The first thing I did was upgrade the memory to 2gb (Crucial Technology CT25664AC800 2GB 200-pin SODIMM DDR2 PC2-6400 Memory Module). [A word on the memory upgrade... I have heard mixed things as to whether the upgrade voids the warranty. I would suggest contacting MSI if this is a concern for you.] I also upgraded the touchpad drivers to allow for a scroll zone on the right side of the touchpad[...]. That makes it MUCH better.
The Wind did not come with a lot of bloatware, which saved me a lot of time. I have installed a variety of apps on it, including Open Office, iTunes and SPSS. It does not seem to have any trouble streaming video from Hulu or streaming music over the network from my primary computer. But as a grad student, I was most concerned about how well it would handle SPSS, the statistical analysis software I use most often. It is noticeably slower than other computers I've used, but only when running more complicated analyses. That said, it was still much quicker than I had expected.
Downsides: I haven't really noticed anything so far... The previous reviewer commented on the touchpad buttons. I'm not sure that they feel cheap as much as they feel stiff. You have to push pretty hard to get them to click. I'm wondering if that will loosen up with use. Otherwise, I may opt to use a mouse. But all in all, that's not enough to make me take away a star.

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MSI Wind U100-843 10-Inch Black Netbook - 5.5 Hour Battery Life Review

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(More customer reviews)Cons: -one of the rubber feet fell of, no big deal as the six-cell battery tilts and lifts it forward w/its own rubber feet.
-screen is not really vibrant in colors, msi says its a led screen, though i would have expected more quality since led tv are the latest rage. compare to the acer i was looking into, the acer has the upper hand on screen quality.
-lots of bloatware, I would add/remove and clean up through msconfig first (btw download the wifi update a.s.a.p.)
-Be patient, playing vids on youtube for example require some wait, though it was really not a media pc in the first palce to be honest.
-Keyboard a little awkward (its a netbook, part of the trade off) especially the arrow keys, too thin, overall minor complaint as it reviewed as one of the best netbooks keyboards. just nit-picking ;)
-MEMORY UPGRADE - This was my biggest complaint. Every laptop I have own had a separate compartment door that would allow easy access to memory banks for quick upgrade only requiring the removable of 1 or 2 screws. BE WARNED the u-100 actually requires removal of the whole under cover AND there is one screw hole that is covered by a void warranty warning if tampered sticker(which seems to be a the lamest warranty void warning i have seen). Obviously, MSI says that customers need to take to an authorized msi location to have the upgrade done. I dont want to spend more, so I, just like many other msi netbook owners, have just went w/ dyi. it was tricky but not too challenging. I dont recommend this to anyone who has never worked under the hood of any pc (laptop or desktop). The whole process seems like an accident waiting to happend to damage anything under there. It took a second attempt to have the new stick recognized. its funny how they offer a bundle w/ an addtl memory stick. She runs faster and smoother now.
pros: -runs faster and smoother than my 15" xp (remove junk software and if possible dyi memory, 1gb max, novice would be advised to consult w/ someone who has great pc hardware knowledge)
-Wifi (again, hookup through lan and get the update) is excellent
-The six-cell batt does not protrude the back like some other netbooks, MSI did a nice job of making it portrude down and thus tilts it up and forward, nice little detail for your wrists comfort. also, the excellent Case Logic LNEO 10 bag holds it w/ a little room to spare.
-Light weight, just under 3 lbs
-batt last a little over 5 hrs. there is a nice msi wind community site that might provide some tweeks to make it last "6 to 5.5 hrs", too busy right now to check that out.
-exhaust was traditionally placed to the side (left side for this one), acer placed it @ the bottom...no thank you.
-Nice little touch, a magnifier, comes in handy.
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Even though I have placed a lot of cons, I my opinion, it is definitely worth the 5 stars. it does everything you would need from a netbook, its working great for school (I hear a lot of whispers and pointing when I take it out in class, some students are lugging around 15 and 17 inchers, they must love the work out, lol), the small footprint easily sits on those lecture rooms w/ the swivel up "desktop" (i call them cutting boards), it runs all my office apps w/ no biggie, plays all my music. Bottom line, it has the performance and price that I was expecting. This msi definitely won me over the acer and much more pricier offerings from asus, samsung, dell, and hp. Plus msi offered a great rebate on this too! Thanks for checking out my blab-review.

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