Impressive Endurance
Thanks to its low-power processor and its six-cell battery, the Wind NB has a lot of steam (a version of the Wind is available with a 3-cell battery for $499.99). Right on target with MSI’s estimate, using Mobile Mark 2007, we managed to get 5 hours and 30 minutes of juice out of the battery with the Wi-Fi turned off. We were unable to run Mobile Mark 2007 with Wi-Fi on, but in untimed, casual use while writing this review, our reviewer noted that the system lasted "well over four hours."
Update: A few weeks after initial publication of this review, we got the MSI Wind back and installed a new Web surfing script that visits a series of popular Web sites with the browser cache turned off. Using the Wi-Fi on surfing test, the Wind NB lasted an impressive 5:13. The original Wi-Fi on estimate of "well over four hours" should be discounted, because it was based on casual observations (no one used a timing mechanism), not a timed test.
In all instances, it was a pleasure not to reach for the AC adapter; we took the system to a Starbucks for an afternoon without fearing that we would need to recharge.
The Wind NB’s 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connected easily to our WPA-protected access point. From 15 feet away, the radio managed 14.5 Mbps, and 7.7 Mbps from 50 feet away. By way of comparison, the HP Mini-Note (running XP) fared better zipping along at 16.7 Mbps at 15 feet and 10.6 Mbps at 50 feet. Nevertheless, Web pages loaded quickly on our office network; NYTimes.com loaded in 5 seconds, and we had no problem streaming video from Hulu.com. An episode of Family Guy had minimal video pauses and audio skips.
Software and Warranty
The Wind NB comes preinstalled with Windows XP Home Edition, though a SUSE Linux version of the system will be available for $399. The system is also packaged with MSI’s webcam software. MSI backs this mini-notebook with a one-year warranty but offers tech support only from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (PST) Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (PST) Friday. Unfortunately, the call isn’t toll-free. It is also worth noting that, according to MSI, while the Wind NB can support up to 2GB of RAM, performing this upgrade yourself voids the warranty.
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