MSI U230-040US Review
The MSI U230-040US Wind12 ($ 483, as August, 2010) offers the power of an ultraportable in the chassis of a netbook. But poor battery life will be a strong contender in a lame duck.
3.3 kg and equipped with a 12-inch screen, MSI U230-040US Wind12 is big for a netbook. It runs on a 1.6 GHz Athlon X2 Dual-Core Neo-processor, 2 GB RAM carries, has a spacious 320 GB hard drive and uses Windows 7 Home Premium. It has a mark of 56 in our World Bench 6 test suite, much better than the flood of scores in the mid 30′s we have used to see netbooks are earned. (For example, the reigning king netbook, the Toshiba NB205 mini-N310 strolled a mark of 36.) However, it is not in the same league with ultra portables in performance. (At the top of the ultraportable heap is currently the Alienware M11x overclocked, the zoomed to a score of 77.
The Wind12 U230-040US provides aesthetic, too. Its simple, glossy black shell is understated elegance – but also serves as a fingerprint magnet. The netbook features a brilliant 12.1-inch screen with an HD-friendly resolution of 1366 by 768, although its display quality is a mixed bag.
Perspective, is glare in order, and the display, is under typical fluorescent lighting, but just not an option in the open. Even though colors sometimes looked muted Reproduction in whole was good. I noticed a fair amount of motion blur in video playback and streaming performance was lackluster – but par for the course for a netbook.
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Audio performance was mediocre, with tinny media playback. The machine has been declared to, but its sound quality dips as satisfactory at higher decibel shock. The performance of the 1.3-megapixel webcam is also less than stellar, test footage I shot tends to look more grainy.
One advantage of being in the larger end of the spectrum is the netbook space with a comfortable keyboard. The U230-040US Wind12 the buttons are large and spacious, with very little time to go to the button presses, which makes for error-free typing. Although it lacks special media keys, offers the netbook generic volume controls and accessories-function toggle with shortcuts.
The touchpad, however, was indeed smooth and react accordingly, disappointing. His small, stiff buttons flush with the chassis, and I often mashed potatoes with a finger against the Netbook under in trying to mouse Abou. In addition, lack the touch pad scroll bar functionality left – and on a Web page scroll bar or arrow keys for navigation at lower resolutions can be maddening.
The U230-040US is Wind12 connectivity options are solid, but unspectacular: a HDMI port, three USB ports, a four-into-one card reader, Gigabit Ethernet port and a legacy VGA port. You also get Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n wireless.
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The headphone and microphone jacks on the right side of the machine, hanging out of the way of peripheral devices and cables that could be in the area. An integrated 3G modem is an option, and the (modemless) model I tested included a rudimentary function key.
MSI documentation consists of the addition to the standard OS and driver discs, together with a comprehensive Quick Start Guide. This software package consists primarily of WebCam Companion Apps, whose benefits will undoubtedly vary from user to the user. Of interest to parents is Kido’z, a walled garden-browser, the heavy parental monitoring and control, and provides access to child friendly sites. Some of the most comprehensive tools are locked in a subscription package.
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The Wind12 U230-040US has to want a lot, but its battery life – 3 hours, 48 minutes in our tests – is a big disadvantage. The average battery life of netbooks is about seven hours, and the Alienware M11x ultraportable ran for 7.5 hours. It is regrettable given the strong overall performance Wind12 U230-040US and portable design. But does not as mobile bound to a socket, and in the configuration I tested lacked the Wind12 U230-040US stamina.
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