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)

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Doing away with the classic five-way navigator, the Magic relies on a small trackball for interface browsing and selection. The virtual keyboard is reminiscent of the iPhone’s, with the device emitting slight vibrations upon keypress as physical feedback.

The Android OS was very responsive, with none of the delays the characterize the interface of—dare I say it—Windows Mobile devices as recent as last year. My unfamiliarity with the OS limited my experimentation, but it was weird how it seemed impossible to select a photo from the gallery, open it, and send it to another device via Bluetooth.

I’ll try to secure a unit for review. So far though I was pretty impressed with the clean and minimalist impression both the HTC Magic and Google Android OS made on me. More so after the HTC Magic or the Android (or both) left an impression of reponsiveness. Perhaps that alone is enough to justify the phone’s decidedly high-end price (see buy links below), but we can only be sure after a few days of use.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The fourth-generation iPod nano brings Apple’s smaller portable player back to its form factor roots, albeit through a smaller and more feature-laden package. To wit:

The newest iPod nano is oh so slightly thinner than its predecessor, and the displays of both the 3G and 4G variants are actually the same, in terms of size and max brightness. Check out the pics and see for yourself (click on the thumbnails on top to see the bigger versions, and continue reading to see the rest of our gallery.

No idea on why Apple bumped the max video playback time to 3 hours though.

Post from: The Gadget Blog