MSI skyrocketed to the top of the mini-notebook field last June when netbooks with 10-inch displays were rare and when no other netbook, regardless of size, could tout more than five hours of battery life. Since then, though, the competition has caught up. While the Wind U120 ($379) has a redesigned chassis, it has the same internal components as the original U100: an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and a six-cell battery. For whatever reason, the latest edition of the Wind lasts only 4 and half hours on a charge, making it less compelling than the original. Nevertheless, the U120’s aggressive price makes it worth considering.
Updated Design
The Wind U120 provides a fresh look compared to the U100’s basic chassis, though it is not quite as snazzy or slim as the ASUS Eee PC 1002HA. MSI claims that the U120’s design is for adults and business professionals, but we much prefer the HP Mini 2140’s aluminum chassis for that market segment. Still, the U120 is sleeker than the original and forgoes its rounded edges for a squarer shape with cleaner lines. A white glossy lid (also available in grey) covers the outside of the netbook and is offset by a black underside and glossy screen bezel.
The size and weight of the Wind U120 is standard fare for a 10-inch system. At 10.2 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches and 2.8 pounds, it weighs the same as its predecessor and as such competitors as the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 and Samsung NC10. It’s not as compact as the HP Mini 1000, but even with its AC adapter (which brings travel weight to a total of 3.4 pounds), our shoulder bag had plenty of room left for other gadgets.
Surrounding the Wind U120 are three USB ports and VGA, Ethernet, headphone, and microphone jacks. A 4-in-1 card reader is on the right side.
Roomy Keyboard, Subpar Mouse Buttons
The keyboard on the U120 is unchanged from the original Wind, which is mostly a good thing. The matte keys offered a good amount of springy feedback when typing, and we like that the Shift keys and Backspace are relatively large. While the HP Mini 2140 and the Samsung NC10 have slightly better keyboards, touch typists should have no problems using the Wind U120 for extended periods.
Also unchanged is the 2.0 x 1.7-inch touchpad, which, while wider than that on the NC10, is disappointingly small. We’re glad that MSI replaced the original single bar mouse button with silver colored right and left mouse buttons, but they felt stiff and make a distracting clicking sound when pressed. Also, the touchpad does not support multitouch gestures like that of the Eee PC 1002HA or the Samsung NC10.
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