MSI Wind U160

Product: MSI Wind U160
Website: www.msi.com/U160
System Specifications: Intel Atom N450 1.66Ghz processor, 1GB DDR2 667, 160GB HDD, Windows 7 Starter, 10-inch 1024x600 WSVGA LED, 1.3MP Webcam, SD, MMC, VGA, USB 2.0, Mic-in, Headphone, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth
Price: £330

MSI'S LATEST NETBOOK, the U160, boasts a new design for its Wind line of affordable sub-notebook computers, while at the same time heralding its second Pine Trail netbook model.

The U160 was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas back in January, then taken on the road to CeBIT in March and other shows before finally arriving on retail shelves.

The new build is much slimmer and sleeker than the bulkier looking netbooks of MSI's existing Wind range, which hasn't changed in design since 2008. The U160 is only 1-inch thick with the screen closed. Its dimensions are 265mm by 165mm by 19.8mm thick with the screen opened. However, with the battery included the footprint is actually 195mm in depth, as that adds a lot to the size and even raises the rear of the netbook a good 15mm off a flat surface. In the past MSI has just included the battery discreetly within its netbooks. This design looks a lot like a step backwards and adds a large protrusion to the device's back end, which detracts from the goal MSI is trying to aim for, in our opinion.

The U160 appears to have the same specifications as the U135 that we reviewed earlier this year, although the PCB design is entirely different, we've been informed. MSI has run with the same Intel Pine Trail NM10 chipset and Atom 1.66GHz N450 processor as featured in its earlier netbook. This combination handled most tasks we threw at the netbook quite well in our previous review.

The 10.1-inch screen accompanying the U160 is very slim, measuring only 5mm thick, and is a far cry from the larger bulkier displays in MSI's existing range. The colours are much sharper than we had come to expect from a basic netbook, showing that build quality certainly has moved on from the cheaper materials used in earlier models.

The screen is mounted on the base of the netbook with a cylindrical hinge, which MSI claims is its unique design although we've seen the same layout on the Sony R series of laptops. Displays such as these are usually mounted somewhat lower than the keyboard, making this design ideal for confined spaces such as the areas available on planes or trains. This isn't the case here, as the display is mounted a few millimetres above the keyboard and behind the base, which actually makes for a deeper than expected netbook at 185mm.

Powering the graphics is the Intel GMA3150 GPU, which is supposedly capable of HD graphics. On the U160 netbook we found it struggled with 720p Flash Youtube content, but played Quicktime 720p media very well. There are rumours that Intel could be moving away from the licensed PowerVR technology to a more powerful Broadcom Crystal chip that is capable of full 1080p video, but we'll just have to see if this pans out. To be honest, 1080p video would be overkill on netbooks, as for one the video window is much larger than the 1024x600 screen size of this and other netbooks, although providing an HDMI port and enabling a secondary display could be a good approach. This in turn could add to the overall usefulness of the netbook, such that the mini-laptop might even double as a good all-round media centre PC.

The U160 keyboard has been reworked too, along with the overall build and aesthetic look of the netbook. Instead of opting for the regular rectangular keys commonly seen on such devices, MSI has opted for smaller, spaced out square keys, and has raised them about three millimetres from the base. This offers a decent all round typing experience, as there is a good deal of room between each key. It also helps avoid pressing a few keys at once, which is often the case when they are almost touching each other and is an issue with small netbook keyboards. Key return is good while typing and MSI has even included a full sized left shift key, which isn't always found on laptops, making this a large plus.

Windows 7 Starter Edition is included as the default operating system, as expected, and we are still thankful it doesn't have the three application limit Microsoft initially threatened. Running from a Seagate SATA 250GB hard disk it's fairly fast to boot up in just 90 seconds to a fully functioning browser.

MSI claims on its website that the U160 is capable of 15 hours of battery life, whereas with our 3-cell unit we found something entirely different. On the most power hungry settings the U160 lasted for 4 hours and 45 minutes of continuous use, while on the most power conservative settings evoking MSI's own Eco Turbo battery mode with WiFi, webcam and Bluetooth disabled and the screen at 20 percent brightness, the U160 lasted 6 hours and 36 minutes.

In Short
Traditionally netbooks fall into the realm of cheap looking, cheap feeling and are effectively a cheap equivalent of a laptop. The MSI Wind U160 does look a lot sleeker and more professional than the older MSI netbooks. There is a premium added for this new look, as the U160 is priced at £330, which is a good £50 more than MSI's same performing U135 model that only lacks the swish design. µ

The Good
New design, thinner build, better keyboard.

The Bad
Doesn't have all the bells and whistles of similar netbooks, larger base than quoted, bulky battery addition and bulky screen hinge.

The Ugly
Premium cost addition for this design.

Bartender's Report
7/10