Cons: Speed of system, keyboard size, need to purchase external optical drive to install some programs
The Bottom Line: If you need a light portable device to surf the internet, and read e-mail, this is a device for you. Otherwise, take a look at some notebooks.
When netbooks hit the market, I was mildly interested in them. They looked more like a toy laptop more than anything to me. My opinion of them changed when I started seeing more of them at places that had wi-fi. That got me intrigured.
One afternoon, I found myself looking at the Micro Center website at the various netbooks that they offered. Companies such as Toshiba, Dell, HP and MSI were represented here. I decided that I would purchase a netbook to see what the hype was about, and as well as see if I could apply them to a business use.
Once I arrived, I almost immediatly eliminated the Dell and HP models. Most of these netbooks offer the same setup (1.6 Intel Atom processor, 1GB ram, 10 inch screen, 160 gb HD and usually Windows XP home, although a few models have Linux operating systems as well.) Dell and HP priced themselves out. What it came down to for me was battery life. I knew about MSI's reputation on their motherboards, which was good. I decided to purchase the U120 because of the longer battery life (5.5 hrs vs 2.5).
Obviously, the first thing that struck me was the size of the keyboard. While I knew it was smaller, the "chiclet" size was a bit unusual and took a bit to get use to. I still make mistakes in typing on it. Typing a novel on this machine may be frustrating to those with big fingers or even just medium size fingers.
Make no mistake, this is slower than even the most budget desktop currently on the market. What you get is a ultraportable computer that is light, and is great for basic tasks such as web browsing and e-mailing. It does run Microsoft Office 2007, albeit slower than your desktop and laptop. It runs Open Office really well, although still slower than a desktop.
It has a built in wireless card, and this model does have a card slot for SD cards, so you can put your pictures from your camera onto this machine. It also has 3 USB ports, a VGA port for an external montior, and a network jack. Pretty standard for netbooks in general.
The battery life on this model is pretty close to advertised, based on my use. I've run it on battery for about 5 hours before it flagged me to thing about charging it. It does take a bit longer to re-charge, but for the extra life over the standard battery, I'll take that over the shorter battery life.
This model, like most other netbooks, comes with a webcam. Pretty standard fare.
If you need to install a program from an optical drive, one is not included. You will need to purchase an external one (which is around $70-80) in order to use that program. Also, the recovery program requires DVD's, so this is a must if you wish to do that.
This device is great if you want an inexpensive computer for the kids just to surf, or as a device you want to take to the local cafe and don't feel like lugging your heavy laptop around all the time.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 329 Operating System: Windows Processor: Other Processor speed: over 1000 Screen Size: 10 inches RAM: More than 256 Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
If you need Internet access at all times but can t be bothered to carry around a heavy notebook, then try your hands on the MSI Wind U120-024US Netboo...More at Nu-Image Corporation
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.