The integrated graphics which most netbooks come out with are pretty unimpressive, especially considering that their full-size counterparts (read: laptops) that are getting released these days tend to have some sort of dedicated graphics of their own. But in some instances, Intel’s GMA graphics chipset is able to hold its own when it comes to games and HD video, and this was proven in a recent demonstration at a Mobile Dev Camp event in Germany.

Pictured above is Quake III running at an average of about 35 FPS on an external monitor while connected to an MSI Wind U115–running Linux! Moblin Linux, that is. Intel’s Atom Z530 processor and GMA 500 graphics work in tandem for this one, and it’s pretty good work indeed. The same netbook was also demoed with other mobile devices playing HD video rather competently. To see the netbook in fragging action, continue reading for a video after the break.
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The UK branch of MSI have put their word out on what they will be doing about the ban on XP being installed on Hybrid devices. The MSI Wind U115, which uses SSD and HDD for storage will not be recalled from stores in the UK, but rather, stay on the shelves until the stock is gone.

From the end of July, MSI will stop producing the U115 by request of Microsoft. Whether any more will be produced before then, Richard Stewart, UK Marketing Manager for MSI didn’t specify, except that production will cease at the end of July. So if you haven’t picked the hybrid netbook up yet and it appeals to you, nows the time before it’s too late and becomes a high priced ebay item.

via

Portable Monkey have spotted a listing on a Japanese retailers website – sofmap.com,  for the MSI Wind U115 Hybrid netbook which lists the release date, in Japan, as the 22nd of this month.

There are no details on the specifications available on the new Wind in this listing yet, with only pricing details available so far and at 69800 Yen, which is around $733 US, this new MSI netbook doesn’t come cheap for Japanese buyers.

There is still no news on a release date for the US market yet however the U115 has already been released in China and in parts of Europe to applause for it’s extended battery life.

I think “incredible” would be the only fitting way to describe the MSI Wind U115’s battery performance. When it was showcased at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year, MSI promised that the netbook will give up to 10.5 hours of battery life. Well, a test at Eee-PC.de shows that the company wasn’t joking, and in fact, the Wind U115 was able to give up to a little over 14 hours of juice non-stop, all in a single charge of the bundled 5200 mAh battery. If you don’t believe it, I don’t blame you — this is easily something I’d call unbelievable. But all of it is good news, though, because a new bar has been set when it comes to a netbook’s battery life. Check out Eee-PC.de’s post via the link below for the full details.

Via Eee-PC.de

MSI has announced that it will be showcasing its newest Wind notebook (not netbook), the U110 and U115 at CES 2009. What makes these two notebooks special is the fact that they will feature Intel’s Menlow platform which is commonly used on Mobile Internet Devices (MID).

Aside from bearing the same Wind branding, the U110 and U115 will also feature a 10.2-inch screen, Atom Z530 processor and SCH US15W chipset. The fact that their CPUs will still be Atom makes these two notebooks worthy of the MSI Wind branding.

Setting it apart from the MSI Wind netbook is the fact that these two notebooks will offer lower power consumption and longer battery life. In additino, these two notebooks will also be priced higher than the MSI netbooks due to the expensive cost of the Menlow platform.

The MSI U115 will sell for around $685.28 to $744.89 while the U110 will have a price tag of $565-$595. So, it looks like MSI might have a hard time selling these products as it offers not too many differences with their MSI netbooks.

Other features of the MSI Wind U115 includes, a 10.2-inch LED-backlit LCD panel, 1-2GB RAM and Hybrid Storage which could either be an 8GB, 16GB or 35GB SSDs and 80GB, 120GB or 160GB HD. The MSI Wind U110 will have the same specs except for the hybrid storage since it will only have either a 120GB, 160GB or 250GB HD.

Via