MSI Wind U135 Review
BY: Jamison Cush, technologyguide.com EditorPUBLISHED: 2/2/2010
The MSI Wind U135 is an Intel Atom-powered (1.66GHz) 10-inch netbook running Windows-7. It features 1GB of onboard DDR2 SDRAM , a 250GB hard drive, and 802.11BGN Wi-Fi with Bluetooth. It weighs 2.87 pounds and at launch retailed for $329.
NBR liked the Wind U135's look, calling it a “simple design with a clean, high-contrast color scheme,” while he build quality was considered comparable to other netbooks, offering limited scratch resistance. NBR thought the lack of access panels on the bottom of the device was a real drawback, however. Users have to split the case in half to swap out a wireless card, hard drive, or add a memory stick. That said, U135’s open memory slot did add some level of ease, the review claimed.
NBR rated the 10-inch LED backlit display as below average due to significant backlight bleed around the screen edges. The speakers fared better, with NBR describing their performance as, “average compared to most netbooks on the market, meaning that they lacked volume and any hint of bass compared to a full-size notebook.”
The MSI Wind U135 keyboard is a near carbon-copy of the Asus Eee PC 1005PE keyboard, which NBR claimed was a good thing. The keys seemed solid and attached to the frame, offering just the right amount of tactile feedback. The touchpad, on the other hand, had issues. Out of the box, the device lacked specific driver and utility support, limiting multi-touch. A quick search on the MSI website for drivers remedied the problem, but the hassle was enough to irk NBR.
The U135 failed to meet the lofty expectations set by the Asus Eee PC 1005PE in terms of battery life, running for approximately 6 hour and 30 minutes at average user settings, a big disappointment to NBR, which considered the potential battery life a strong selling point.
NBR found the system performance to be good for a netbook, but a bit short when compared to new ultra portables with Intel CULV processors.
Overall, NBR thought the Wind U135 would be “a great little netbook” if not for the power consumption and missing touchpad driver support.
Read the full MSI Wind U135 review at NotebookReview.com.
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