First Look: Medion Akoya Mini E1210

 

Gallery

Posted on 15 Sep 2008 at 11:48

MSI's Wind is one of the best budget ultra-portable laptops we've seen. PCWorld's rebranded version of the Wind, the Advent 4211 reviewed here, is currently our favourite laptop. Medion is pulling the same trick with its Akoya Mini E1210, another rebranded Wind, which will be available for £300 inc VAT from selected Sainsbury's stores.

The Akoya mini is practically identical to the Wind. The keyboard is large enough for comfortable typing, with keys that give plenty of feedback when pressed, and the touch pad is small but accurate. The 10in 1,024x600 resolution display feels more spacious than the 8.9in displays used in some budget ultra-portables.

Windows XP is pre-installed, and runs smoothly thanks to the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and 1GB of RAM. The 80GB hard disk is more suited to storing lots of office files rather than a large media library. However, you can always plug a portable USB disk into one of the three USB ports, or insert an SDHC card for more storage if required.

The Akoya feels sturdy but weighs just 1.13kg - so it's ideal for carrying around. It uses a 2200mah battery, which lasted two and a half hours in our light usage battery test. The black and grey colour scheme is understated and classy.

The Akoya costs £20 more than Advent's 4211, but a copy of WordPerfect Office X3 is included. This is a good alternative to Microsoft Office, though you could just download OpenOffice for free instead. A copy of PowerDVD is also included, but given there's no optical drive fitted, it's a strange choice.

We don't think the additional software justifies the Akoya's £20 price premium over the Advent 4211. Given that they are otherwise identical, you're better off going to PCWorld than Sainsbury's to buy a budget ultra-portable.

If the Akoya isn't available from your local Sainsbury's, it's also available for purchase online from www.medionshop.co.uk .

Author: Alan Lu