Acer to join the Moblin Linux bandwagon

Moblin — the Intel lovin’ Linux flavor we’ve heard so much about recently — just got some major support from Acer, who plans on slapping it on laptops, desktop PCs, and its Aspire One nettops. According to PC World, a press conference held today saw a wide range of Moblin versions (including Suse, Xandros, Linpus, Red Flag, and Ubuntu Moblin) installed on netbooks from companies that included HP, Asustek, MSI, and Hasee Computer; MIDs by the likes of BenQ and Compal; and even an Eee Keyboard. Not too bad for an OS that wasn’t even an OS when we first laid eyes on it, eh? We’ll keep our eyes peeled for those machines from Acer. In the mean time, how about that Tony Hawk Ride? Man, that looks sweet.

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Acer to join the Moblin Linux bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultraslim MSI Laptop Takes on MacBook Air

msi-x340MSI said Wednesday it has started shipping its ultraslim notebook computer that weighs just about 2.86 pounds and is priced nearly half of that of Apple’s MacBook Air laptop.

The X340 notebook from MSI had a public showing at the CTIA mobile conference in Las Vegas in April but MSI did not reveal the complete specs or the price tag.

Now word from the company is that it will cost $900. Apple’s MacBook Air starts at $1800.

The X340 notebook will be about 0.78 inches thick at it’s widest point, compared to MacBook’s 0.76 inches at its thickest. It will run Intel’s ULV SU3500 processor, Windows Vista,  a 13-4- inch display, a HDMI input, 320 GB storage and 2GB memory. The notebook will also come with Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi capability and a 1.3 megapixel camera.

While Apple clearly has set the benchmark for ultralight notebooks with the MacBook Air, the MSI X340 seems like it could be a potentially strong rival. Laptop Mag, which reviewed the X340 earlier this month, liked the battery life and the number of ports that the X340 offers. But they found the the lack of powerful graphics capability and the build quality–my biggest peeve with most MSI computers–to be the drawbacks.

Still the MSI X340 carries a recession-friendly price tag for road warriors and can be an alternative to easy-to-carry but light on features netbooks.

See also:

MSI X340 review [Laptop Mag]

Photo: MSI X340/MSI


MSI’s X-Slim X340 now shipping in US for $899.99

It’s hard to say if our harmless threats influenced the MSRP here, but either way, we’ll take it. MSI has finally (finally!) come clean with a set price on its succulent X-Slim X340, and while we heard through the grapevine awhile back that it would ship here for under a grand, we definitely had our doubts. Starting today, eager consumers can order one for the low, low price of $899.99, which buys you an Intel ULV SU3500 processor, Vista Home Premium, a 13.4-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution display, GMA 4500MHD graphics and 2GB of DDR2 RAM. There’s also a 320GB hard drive, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, 4-cell battery (an 8-cell is optional), 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, twin USB 2.0 sockets, VGA / HDMI outputs and an SD / MMC card reader. The 0.78-inches thick machine is shipping today in the US of A from a bevy of e-tailers, and you can peek the full release just after the break.

Update: Looks like some e-tailers even have it at $799. Nice!

Continue reading MSI’s X-Slim X340 now shipping in US for $899.99

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MSI’s X-Slim X340 now shipping in US for $899.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: MSI Wind U115 for sale in Japan, UK

MSI’s Wind U115, the huggable, lovable, notable, and ultraportable hybrid SSD/HDD is now available to faithful readers in the UK and Japan. It’s been spotted making the rounds on the Interwebz in the £450 – £500 (approx. $675-$750) range. A bit pricey for a 10-inch netbook, sure, but perhaps the Atom Z530 processor, 6-cell battery, and 720p video playback will make it worth your while. You have been making some irrational decisions lately — but we’ll talk about that later. Hands on video after the break.

Read – MSI Wind U115 Hybrid Unboxed
Read – MSI Wind U115 Hybrid now shipping in UK

Continue reading Video: MSI Wind U115 for sale in Japan, UK

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Video: MSI Wind U115 for sale in Japan, UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI’s Wind U123 now shipping in US, U123H and U123T still on hold

We already knew MSI’s Atom N280-powered Wind U123 netbook was grabbing placeholders at e-tailers across the web, but now we’re assured that they’re actually shipping to eager Americans. Unfortunately, the altogether more exciting U123T (which packs a TV tuner) and U123H (which includes a 3.5G HSDPA WWAN module) are still nowhere to be found, but we don’t expect ’em to be too far behind. Hop on past the break for links to all of MSI’s recommended partners, and be prepared to shell out at $350 to bring one home.

Continue reading MSI’s Wind U123 now shipping in US, U123H and U123T still on hold

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MSI’s Wind U123 now shipping in US, U123H and U123T still on hold originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind Top AE1900 gets reviewed, patted on the back

Those crazy kids over at Computer Shopper have got their hot hands on MSI’s all-in-one Wind Top AE1900, and have been cool enough to share their thoughts with us. Sure, the thing is pretty snazzy (if not at all cutting edge, design-wise), and the 1.6GHz Atom CPU means that it’s easy on the power use, but the reviewer feels that the $599 price tag is a bit much — especially since it’s outclassed by the similar Dell Studio One 19 (which’ll only run you around $150 more). Other not-so-awesome factors include some seriously weak speakers, the fact that it ships with Windows Vista Basic (sans Media Center), and the Wind Touch software is apparently pretty awkward and counter-intuitive. But who knows? Maybe this bad boy will be right up your alley. Stranger things have happened. Hit that read link and decide for yourself.

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MSI Wind Top AE1900 gets reviewed, patted on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI’s Turbo Drive-equipped GX723 gaming laptop unveiled

Looking for another option in MSI’s oft-ballyhoed Turbo Drive laptop series? The company’s announced the GX723, its gaming hat trick for the month. Under the hood, the 17-inch, WSXGA+ portable’s packing an Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M, Windows Vista Home Premium, up to 4GB of RAM, and your choice of 320GB or 500GB HDD and six / nine cell batteries. It’s also got the ECO quick launch touch sensor for cycling through five performance settings, and colorful W/A/S/D buttons for gamers who are interested in picking this up but somehow don’t have the popular FPS directional keys ingrained into their memory bank. Mum’s the word on pricing or availability.

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MSI’s Turbo Drive-equipped GX723 gaming laptop unveiled originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 May 2009 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind U200 gets official, handled in Taipei

Oh hey, guess what else Engadget Chinese got hands-on with today? The MSI Wind U200 that leaked yesterday. Official specs on the Wind U100 followup are just like we said: 12-inch, 1366 x 768 pixel LED-backlit display, Celeron ULV SFF 723 processor, GMA 4500M graphics, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 2GB of DDR2 memory, and 250GB disk, and 1.4-kg with 3-cell battery. Still no pricing or release but we’re sure that Computex (kicking off June 2nd) will change all that.

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MSI Wind U200 gets official, handled in Taipei originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 06:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI’s X-Slim X340 vs. X400 vs. X600 CULV laptops… Fight!

The big Computex show in Taipei is just a few weeks away and that means laptops, tons and tons of laptops. Specifically, CULV thin-and-light laptops that Intel’s hoard of dutiful manufacturers have positioned between netbooks and super-expensive, ultra-portables like the MacBook Air or ThinkPad X301. Engadget Chinese is at the unveiling of MSI’s full range of X-Slim laptops. We’ve already seen the X320/X340 up close, but this is the first time we’ve received official specs on the 14-inch (1366 x 768) X400 and 15.6-inch (1366 x 768) X600. Both feature Core 2 Solo CULV processors, an HDMI jack, hard disks up to 500GB in capacity, up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, and a 2-in-1 card memory reader. The X600 adds eSATA, options for 6 or 9-cell batteries (compared to the X400’s 4 or 8-cells), and bumps the graphics from integrated GMA 4500MHD to ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330. Now we’re just waiting for the ship dates and prices which should start at $699 to about $1,100.

Update: Official press release says to expect these before June is through.

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MSI’s X-Slim X340 vs. X400 vs. X600 CULV laptops… Fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI X-Slim X340 gets reviewed, loved on – despite the ‘flexy’ keyboard

We’ve had our eyes on MSI’s answer to the MacBook Air (yeah, we said it!) for a while now — and that includes a shady, late night hands-on photo session live from the Neville Island Motel and a horrifying back-alley vivisection, to boot. Now it looks like the crazy kids at Laptop are dead set on having their say on the X340 13.4-inch ultra-portable — and why not? The more the merrier! According to the reviewer, what this character lacks in processing power, it more than makes up for in price, weight, and battery life — at 2.9 pounds the device is certainly lighter than the Air, and its over three hours on a single charge are none too shabby. Even the 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo processor (coupled here with 2GB memory and running Windows Vista) is characterized as “snappy.” Sadly, the keyboard is said to be flimsy and graphic performance pretty weak — but still, at $899 (price as reviewed) this is sure to be right up some of your proverbial alleys. Interested? Hit that read link for all the gory details.

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MSI X-Slim X340 gets reviewed, loved on – despite the ‘flexy’ keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 May 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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