sources say.
(Click here for a larger view of MSI's Wind U100, which the newcomers will apparently closely resemble)MSI has not formally announced the U110 and U115 yet, but will release the systems at CES, according to various reports, including one in the Taiwanese publication
DigiTimes. The devices were shown off at a French press conference last month, and are now being talked up by MSI's U.S. sales director, Andy Tung, according to
Laptop Magazine.
In a chat earlier this week with the publication, Tung is said to have revealed that the U110 and U115 will closely resemble MSI's earlier
netbook, the
U100 pictured above. But, in a quest for battery life, the new models will replace the earlier machine's 1.6GHz Atom
N270 processor with Intel's
Z5xx Atom CPUs ("Silverthorne"), usually associated with MIDs (mobile Internet devices).
Compared to the N270, which measures 22mm x 22mm, the Z5xx Atoms come in a 13mm x 13mm package. And, compared to the N270's TDP of 2.5 Watts, the 1.6GHz Z530 processors chosen by MSI have a TDPs of just two Watts.
Additionally, the N270 requires Intel's 945GSE chipset, which is rated for a six Watt TDP. In contrast, the Z530 is designed to use Intel's "Poulsbo" SCH (system controller hub) US15W, rated for a TDP of just 2.5 Watts.
The two-chip Silverthorne/Poulsbo combination costs manufacturers more than an N270 and its 945GCSE and 82801GBM supporting chips. In addition, the US15 only supports up to 1GB of physical memory, according to Intel's April 2008 data sheet.
Oddly,
Laptop quotes Tung as saying the new U110 and U115 will be expandable to 2GB of RAM. Whether or not that proves to be wrong, it is likely to make a difference only to a small minority of buyers. On the other hand, all will apparently be delighted by the systems' battery life, claimed to reach eight hours on the U110 with its standard six-cell battery.
Hybrid storage saves more powerThe U115 goes even further, doubling the original U100's five-hour battery life to ten hours. In a move described by Tung as offering "the best of both words," the device extends operating times by incorporating both an SSD (solid state drive) and an HDD (hard disk drive).
The SSD, offered in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities, is intended primarily for installation of the U115's operating system. Meanwhile, the 160GB or 250GB HDD is intended to hold pictures, music, video, and other large data files. When the HDD is not required, it can be turned off to save battery power, Tung is quoted as saying.
As for the U110, it's offered solely with conventional 160GB or 250GB HDDs. Both models incorporate 10-inch displays with LED backlighting, 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, and webcams.
Like the majority of netbooks, including MSI's U100, the U110 and U115 will apparently run the Windows XP Home operating system. Quoted by
Laptop, Tung said U.S. buyers are "very close to the Windows look and feel," so Linux will not be offered in the U.S. market.
Further informationTo read
Laptop's interview with Andy Tung, MSI's sales director, see the publication's website,
here. To see an illustrated report, in French, on MSI's November press conference revealing the U110 and U115, go to the
Netbook 3G website,
here.
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