14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that PC suppliers have made a veritable habit of officially unveiling a device or another and remaining completely silent about when and for how much consumers will be able to get their hands on it. Granted, this does not always apply, but even the arrival of MSI's own Wind U135DX is unknown, though the price could, at the very least, be guessed at. MSI didn't have any qualms about repeating performances, though it did, at least, reveal the full spec sheet of the Wind U160DX.
Like its so-called predecessor, although predecessor doesn't really apply since the Wind U135DX itself has not started selling yet, the U160DX supports DDR3. This is the major asset of the new generation of entry-level mobile PCs and is made possible by the latest Intel Atom CPUs. In this case, the N455 is implemented (1.6GHz), alongside up to 2GB of DDR3-667 memory and, of course, the obligatory Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics.
The spec sheet of the machine obviously includes a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive of 160GB storage, though a 250GB option is also available. Additionally, the netbook boasts a 2 in 1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth v2.0+EDR, HD Audio, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and built-in stereo speakers. As for ports and plugs, a D-Sub output is present, as are three USB 2.0 ports and audio jacks. All of these parts are crammed inside an enclosure measuring 265 x 165 x 19.8-25.4mm. The weight is of roughly 1kg.
It should probably be mentioned that MSI's creation has the same look as the U160, which actually won it an iF Product Design Award. The casing has a shiny, sleek appearance with gold or onyx film print and, predictably, a chiclet keyboard. Finally, a 3-cell or 6-cell battery is provided and the machine is pre-loaded with Windows 7 starter.