MSI's netbook Air-alike leads the charge

MSI WAS ALL about notebooks at CES in Vegas last week, not a motherboard to be seen. If you wanted something notebook or netbook, the firm would likely be able to please.

The talk of CES was the X320 netbook. Think a Macbook Air thickness machine with a 13.3-inch screen, 1366 * 768, that weighs 1.3kg. It is based on the Intel Menlow platform, so it has real laptop grade power features, not a 945. This gives it up to 10 hours of battery life with an 8-cell battery, but it comes with a 4-cell should you not need that much time or weight.

X320 Netbook Air

MSI seems to have nailed the looks. Even through the overly reflective glass box it was in, it was clear they got it right. If the chassis is a solid as some say it is, it should be a runaway hit for the $800-1000 they are going to charge when it comes out in April. Before you put an order down, there will be a better version coming shortly after that. It'll run Linux, so you will get better battery life and a lower price for the added functionality.

Moving right along we come to gaming notebooks. For the past year, MSI has had a line most recognizable by the flames adorning the case. This year, they were showing off the successors, evolutionary in almost every way, but nothing standout. The design is still red and black, but the flames have been replaced by red 'circuit-like' lines. In my not so humble opinion, they look a lot better now.

The larger versions sporting 15 and 17-inch screens will come with either metal or carbon fiber case lids. If this test of materials goes well, look for it to expand out to other lines in the future.

U120 netbook with WiMax

The last one to catch my eye is the U120 netbook. It is more or less the same old Wind, a good thing, but has WiMax built in. Can you say connectivity everywhere (....that Sprint has rolled out in the US so far that is)? Should you not like that, there are variants with SIM slots for cellular data transfer, but if you live in an area covered by WiMax, this is a very compelling machine. µ