MSI Wind U100 review

Because the keys are larger and have more tapered edges, they feel more like a conventional keyboard, and overall we found typing a vastly better experience than with something like the steeper, smaller keys of the Elonex. The trackpad is just as satisfying to use. It's smaller than those on most laptops, but there's still enough room to get around. Its buttons are quite usable, although it's actually one button, hinged in the middle so that left and right clicks can be detected.

Breathing space

The screen is plenty bright enough for working and web surfing. Though it doesn't bring any extra resolution, the increase in size makes web pages and documents feel a bit less cramped. It's more impressive than the panel in the Elonex, which was washed-out and grainy by comparison.

There's just one area where the Wind falls down: battery life is poor for a machine that should pride itself on its portability. In our light use test, the Wind fell just short of two and a half hours. In a more demanding DVD playback task - using an external drive connected with a USB cable, since there's no internal optical drive - the MSI lasted little more than an hour and a half. This is at the very low end of what we'd expect of a full size laptop. The reason is MSI's choice of a lower-capacity battery, an obvious cost-cutting measure.

When we saw preview units of the Wind, it came with a 4400mAh battery, which might well have broken through five hours in our tests. But retail units, like our review sample, now come with a 2200mAh battery in place, effectively cutting the Wind's lifespan in half. Asus drew criticism for shipping a smaller battery with the Eee than some previews had suggested, but in that case the difference was between 6600 and 4400mAh; MSI has taken a significant step down again.

You may also be put off by the price. At £329, the Wind is barely cheaper than some conventional budget laptops, which offer larger screens, more powerful processors, Windows Vista, lots more storage, and an optical drive built in.

However, what you might gain in features you'd lose in portability. Despite the mediocre battery life, this is an excellent travelling companion, intelligently designed and with a specification that avoids any feeling of compromise.