MSI Wind U123 and ASUS 1000HE Show Netbook Evolution
by Wesley Fink on July 17, 2009 12:02 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Evolution of the Netbook
While it has only been about a year and a half since the ASUS Eee first defined the netbook market, the netbook has quickly evolved and has become one of the hottest items for sale in the computer market. No doubt part of that appeal has been the worldwide economic downturn, which has made a complete cheap computer a much more attractive purchase than it might be in good economic times. The appeal, however, is arguably more than just a low price, and every US computer company, with the exception of Apple, has quickly jumped into the netbook market.
The new competitors have tried to offer more features, bigger screens, more powerful processors, and longer battery life than the original ASUS Eee. As a result the latest netbook models now sport 10" screens, Intel Atom processors (Instead of the earlier Celeron), and generally the promise of a computer system that sips power to provide longer battery life.
| Netbook Feature Comparison | ||||||||
| Model | CPU | Chipset | Screen | Mfg. Battery Life | Weight as tested |
Battery Capacity | Wh Power | Resolution |
| Asus 1000HE | Atom N280 | 945GSE | 10.1" | 9.5 hrs | 3.16 lbs | 7.2v-8700 mAh | 62.6 | 1024x600 |
| MSI Wind U123 | Atom N280 | 945GSE | 10.3" | 8 hrs | 3.24 lbs | 11.1v-7800 mAh | 86.6 | 1024x600 |
| Asus 1000HA | Atom N270 | 945 Express | 10.1" | 7 hrs | 3.19 lbs | 7.4v-6600 mAh | 62.6 | 1024x600 |
| Asus PC 901 | Atom N270 | 945 Express | 8.9" | 8 hrs | 2.50 lbs | 7.4v-6600 mAh | 62.6 | 1024x600 |
| Asus PC 4G | Celeron M900 | 915GM/GMS | 7" | 2.8 hrs | 2.04 lbs | 7.4v-5200 mAh | 38.5 | 800x480 |
Comparing the developing ASUS Eee line and its competitors you can see the processor has evolved from the original Celeron M900 to the Intel Atom N270 as the netbooks moved to larger screens. The two netbooks we are comparing today both feature the slightly faster Intel Atom N280, which is replacing the N270 in most netbook designs. The N280 is essentially the same CPU as the N270 running at a slightly faster 1.66GHz compared to the 1.6GHz of the N270. The N280 bus speed is also slightly faster at 667MHz instead of the 533MHz of the N270. For more information on the Atom processors see Intel's Atom Architecture: The Journey Begins and the recent look at the Atom of the near future in Intel Unveils Next-Generation Atom Details.
The original Eee PC 4G (far right) featured a 7" LCD screen with a resolution of 800x480. Most users longed for something larger and LCD technology was rapidly driving down the costs of LCD screens at the same time. The next generation of netbook, the Eee PC 900/901 featured a 9" screen at 1024x600. Current generation screens are generally around 10" with the same 1024x600 resolution. Several manufacturers have recently introduced or announced netbooks with a 12" screen. The Acer Aspire One ZA3, with an 11.6" screen and 1333x768 resolution, has just arrived in our labs for review.
As screen size has grown, so has the physical size and weight of the typical netbook. The 2 pound PC 4G of 2007 is now more typically around 3.2 pounds. However, the extra weight is not really screen or CPU as much as it is increased battery capacity. Manufacturers are keenly aware of the extra weight in the newest netbooks, and ASUS offers 6-cell and 3-cell versions of the 1000HE. MSI similarly offers both 9-cell and 6-cell versions of the Wind U123. This allows the buyer to determine which is more important to them - longer battery life or lighter weight.
There is also no doubt that the original 9" x 7" of the PC 4G has now grown to 10.5" x 9" in the larger screen 1000H series. This will likely continue as manufacturers try to provide larger screens, more computing power, and even longer battery life in future netbook models.
Almost all current netbook models now feature a 1024x600 screen, an Atom processor, around 1GB of memory, built-in LAN, WiFi, and in some cases Bluetooth connectivity, a webcam ideal for Skype communications, Windows XP, and a hard drive typically providing around 160GB of storage. Some netbooks ship with Linux and Unix-family operating systems as the standard OS or as an option, and the recent announcement by Google that they will develop a Chrome OS for netbooks promises even more OS variety in the future. None of the netbooks tested so far offer an optical drive option although all feature the necessary USB ports to install an external DVD (or BD/DVD) drive.
None of the currently tested netbooks included an SSD drive. The SSD seems an ideal match to a netbook computer, but cost is still relatively high for Solid State Drives compared to the low-power 1.8"/2.5" drives currently used in most netbooks. A few manufacturers like ASUS and OCZ do offer SSD options and more SSD drives may appear in future models.
Prices for the tested netbook models ranged from $300 for the original ASUS PC 4G to $400 for the two recent models from ASUS and MSI. That is an extremely tight price range for a computer and demonstrates the price sensitivity of the netbook market. A few netbooks reach into the $500+ range with added features, but for now netbooks are clearly an "under $400" market in the United States.
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fuberwil - Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - link
I think this is just showing the evolution of the netbooks. A relatively recent device that now has everyone clamoring for one due to the size and portability of it. I think MSI is onto something especially with the option of the 9cell battery which can offer up to 10 hours of work time (from what i've read). Partner that with a low price tag with amazing specs then you have the new best friend of every student and businessman. Yea i think they all have their shortcomings such as the mouse track or the keyboard but like any good electronical device give it some time then it will meet consumers needs on almost every level.Hrel - Thursday, August 6, 2009 - link
A device like that would NEVER be worth more than 200 bucks to me, and I'd feel a little rotten about paying anything more than 100. Not to mention it's not really much more portable than a laptop. Laptops just need better battery life so we don't have to chug around with the ac adapter, If my laptop got 12 hours of battery life I'd take EVERYWHERE!!!afkrotch - Thursday, July 30, 2009 - link
I can't see how anyone can recommend these pieces of crap. I've owned an Asus EeePC Seashell and I would never recommend these to anyone I know. I don't care about battery life, size, or weight. The pieces of crap run so freaking slow. On a straight up HTML page, it flies, but once you get into something that's heavy in java, php, etc is lags. It lags when you scroll, move to a new page, etc.For simple websurfing, it fails. If all you plan on doing is typing up on notepad, ya. Go ahead. Have Office 2k7? Play with lag. It lags when I type.
FYI, I cleaned off the XP Home they had on there and installed a clean copy of XP Pro. I thought it would help with the lagging, but needless to say. It didn't.
MamiyaOtaru - Monday, July 20, 2009 - link
stop making glossy bodied netbooks. They look like trash as soon as someone touches them. Also never make glossy screened netbooks. I want to see what I'm working on, not my reflection. WOn't buy any eee past the original 900 because of this.kawatwo - Sunday, July 19, 2009 - link
Futisu and Sony both have 2 Ghz atoms overseas now in the P and the u820. It shouldn' be long before they make there way here. Also, it costs a little more but people always forget Asus own N10J mmodel with the gforce 9300m which makes it a pretty well rounded machine. A 2 Ghz N10 would be pretty remarkable I would think.I'm waiting for the 2 Ghz U820 though as I travel by motorcycle whenever possible.
AstroGuardian - Sunday, July 19, 2009 - link
Hmmm.. 2Hhz? Like 5% more horsepower? Not feeling like waiting for it lol.I think the netbook future will be pushing the limits to portable CPUs and GPUs. Nowdays netbook CPUs are useless except for bare computer needs. Right?
Wesleyrpg - Saturday, July 18, 2009 - link
hey guys, i know the MSI Wind 123 already has an impressive battery life, but how would it perform with an Intel SSD and would there be any better battery life?richwenzel - Saturday, July 18, 2009 - link
The lenovo s12 and the samsung nc20 both have the new via nano. I believe asus has a netbook and possibly dell as well with the nano.the nano supposedly can do blue ray. It would have been nice to see the differences between the two.
the nc20 is a bit pricier, at $500-$550 or so, but the lenovo can be had for around $400.
there is another company call top crown, www.tct.hk that looks they have some interesting developments with the nano
piasabird - Saturday, July 18, 2009 - link
What is the appeal of a miniature laptop which is slow and underpowered? Better yet, just build a small nettop with a real processor. One thing I tend to wonder is why these Atom motherboards are so inexpensive, yet the via Mini-ITX motherboards are so expensive. Maybe it is just mass production fueled by the want of people for a smaller computer. Myself, I think you could just as easily hook it up to an external HD widescreen monitor. This would give such a device more appeal.You could just make a phone that could plug into a monitor. Why carry around a big nettop? I think it is just as possible.
SilthDraeth - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
My brother bought an EEE specifically to run some DJing software on it, so he didn't have to lug around his Macbook. Unfortunately it couldn't handle it. He then couldn't sell it on Ebay, only scammers tried to buy it.Not blaming the netbook, and he had the money to throw away, and still makes use of it. But something with a bit more horsepower than a slight processor clock speed increase would be very welcome.
Looks like we may have to wait a bit longer though.