MSI Wind U210 Pics, First Impressions

Looking for a netbook to buy for my girlfriend—she always talked about getting a laptop to work at home, but was too timid financially to walk the walk—I found a vendor selling an MSI Wind U210 for around $485. That’s more expensive than NewEgg’s price of $430, but the extra cash was well-spent on a 9-cell battery. Here’s what I did before handing the netbook over to my girlfriend:

Took Pictures

Here are some pictures of the MSI Wind U210, featuring the netbook in various angles. Click on a thumbnail to see a large-size version of the picture:

Used Ninite

Ninite, if you recall, lets visitors choose the applications they want and download a customized executable to facilitate their installation. Based on my SO’s preferences, and what I thought she’d need, here’s what I ticked off:

• Chrome
• Skype
• Yahoo Messenger
• iTunes
• VLC
• Picasa
• Microsoft Office (Trial Version)
• Adobe Reader
• AVG Free Anti-Virus 9.0
• Flash Installer for Other Browsers
• Java Runtime Environment Update 18
• uTorrent
• WinRAR

All in all, it took about an hour-and-a-half for everything to download and install. Since Ninite did everything in the background, I was able to get some work done while waiting.

Wrote down My First Impressions

The MSI Wind U210 was very responsive, running Windows 7 smoothly. Keep in mind however that I was using a brand-new gadget, with barely anything on it, so let’s see what happens after a few months of use. The unit itself is very light and compact, but the keyboard is still near full-size, and proved easy to type on with my relatively large fingers.

While the keyboard is snappy enough to facilitate touch-typing, it’s build quality was a bit suspect, with the entire key assembly depressing a bit whenever I’d press U, I, J, K. The rest of unit felt sturdy though, and the finish is shiny plastic, the kind that doesn’t seem like it will wear out or discolor after months of constant contact with the human hand.

By far the best feature of the MSI Wind U210—at least the one I got—is the 9-cell battery, which promises a long life away from the wall socket. After two and a half hours of installing the programs above and working—with WiFi on and the screen at full brightness—Windows 7 promised over 4 hours of operation. The longer battery life comes at a cost of less portability though, with the extra cells bulging out from underneath the unit.

Considered Buying One for Myself

To make a long story short, I’m actually very tempted to buy this netbook for myself. I’m now at a point where I value portability, a good keyboard, and long battery life, and the MSI Wind U210 so far delivered on these. The only issues I have are the lack of Bluetooth, and I’m wondering if I can get a variant that has the 3G SIM slot enabled. Still, a mini Bluetooth dongle shouldn’t cost more than $5 nowadays, and tethering the Wind U210 to my phone for 3G access isn’t that difficult anyway.

Other than that, MSI has managed to cram a good mix of features into a small yet usable form factor. The MSI Wind U210 is light, speedy, and lasts long on a single charge. I’m simply trying to justify not getting this netbook, given the price for what you get.

You can buy the MSI Wind U210 (6-cell version) from NewEgg here: MSI Wind U210-008US Black/Gray 12.1″ WXGA Netbook ($430)