July 8 - 4:35pm EDT   MSI this afternoon confirmed that it has finally begun shipping the Wind, its first mini notebook. Stores such as Amazon, Buy.com, Fry's, and Newegg are all receiving the 10-inch portables first and will initially receive basic versions with a three-cell battery and Windows XP Home. Versions with the longer-lived six-cell battery as well as those preloaded with Linux are due in September, the company says. The larger battery itself will be available separately at the same time. [full story]

June 27 - 4:30pm EDT   MSI has again delayed getting its Wind UMPC into the hands of buyers. In a letter sent to customers recently, apologetic MSI says the delay stems from an industry-wide notebook battery shortage that took place in March. In an attempt to make up for the delay, MSI will give buyers free overnight shipping when the Wind does arrive on July 7. The last promised ship date for the long-awaited UMPC was June 16th, but US customers are still to receive their mini notebooks. [full story]

June 3 - 7:45am EDT   Acer this morning made its launch into micro notebooks official with the Aspire one. Following closely in the style of systems from ASUS and MSI, the 8.9-inch portable is based on an Intel Atom processor that Acer claims should last for about 6 hours on an optional battery, or slightly longer than the MSI Wind's 5.5 hours. This is helped by the switch to flash storage on the base model: simpler configurations include an 8GB module in place of the hard drive used in some other mini portables. [full story]

June 3 - 7:15am EDT   MSI this morning finalized the US specs and details for the Wind, its entry into micro notebooks. The 10-inch, LED-backlit system is available in Linux and Windows versions that share virtually identical features: at the center is a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor that MSI claims will net each Wind as much as 5.5 hours of battery life, or much more than systems based on older Celeron processors. Each also comes with an 80GB hard drive rather than flash memory. [full story]

May 28 - 7:55am EDT   ASUS is bumping up the launch of the 10-inch Eee PC in an attempt to head off rivals, PC builder insiders claim. The company is reportedly concerned about the launch of the same-size MSI Wind and now plans to introduce its largest Eee PC at the Computex show next week alongside the Atom-based Eee PC 901 in an attempt to garner more publicity for its own system. [full story]

May 13 - 2:45pm EDT   MSI today has firmed up specs for its Wind mini-notebook, including its launch timeframe. The 10-inch system will closely follow ASUS' practices with the Eee PC and ship in both a low-cost Linux version (based on Novell's distribution) as well as a more expensive Windows XP edition. The basic Wind will ship with just 512MB of RAM and a three-cell battery good for 2.5 hours of battery life; in exchange for the higher price and demands of the Windows portable, the premium model will come with 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth, and a six-cell battery that runs for 5.5 hours. [full story]

May 9 - 3:05pm EDT   Online store eXpansys today put up pre-orders for the Wind, MSI's rival to the ASUS Eee PC. Elaborating on early specs published last month for the system, the store confirms that the launch edition of the 10-inch notebook will run on a comparatively quick 1.6GHz Atom and features that aren't often present in smaller notebooks, such as a physically larger 80GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel webcam built into the lid, and Bluetooth. [full story]

May 8 - 11:45am EDT   Offering its own take on low-cost desktops, MSI has released the Titan, its early answer to ASUS' E-DT system. At 9.4 by 7.3 inches, the system is larger than some of its planned rivals but also includes a 250GB hard drive in its frame; size is kept down by using a 2GHz Via C7-M mobile processor at the Titan's heart and by using a notebook-sized DVD burner and hard disk. These also keep it quiet and greener than full desktops, MSI says. The system is also software-indepedent: rather than ship with Linux or Windows, the Titan comes as-is for users comfortable installing their own choice of operating system. [full story]

April 18 - 4:30pm EDT   Taiwan-based MSI recently revealed more information on its low-cost, ultra-portable laptop, the Wind Notebook. The roughly 2.2lb notebook will run on Windows XP and feature an unusually large 2.5-inch HDD with an 80GB capacity. The Wind will be offered with either an 8.9- or 10-inch LCD display, the resolution of which is pegged at 1024x600 pixels. It is expected to compete with ASUS' Eee PC 900. [full story]

March 31 - 2:45pm EDT   MSI on Friday announced its newest notebook, the VR340, which features a 13.3-inch screen with 1280x800 resolution, full-sized keyboard and a weight of 4.9 pounds. The VR340's processing power comprises Intel's dual-core processor and GL960 chipset, while the two DDR2 slots can be configured for up to 3GB of memory. [full story]

February 13 - 1:25pm EST   Acer is expanding its line to include budget ultraportable computers, Acer president J.T. Wang said today. The company chief refrained from providing details but stated that multiple devices would be released to tackle both price and size throughout the spring and summer of this year. However, previous leaks have pointed to likely direct challengers to ASUS' popular Eee PC line. Both 8- and 9-inch systems are expected with the same 800x480 resolution as the ASUS system, though whether these are the only products or are still in place for the mid-year launch is unclear. [full story]

January 29 - 9:30am EST   PC builder MSI today outlined many of its goals for designing notebooks in 2008, many of which provide immediate clues as to its upcoming models. Following Warner's choice to drop HD DVD, MSI is likely to do the same with its own HD-capable systems, choosing Blu-ray instead. This will be helped by a slight boost in the average size of a notebook screen to 15.6 inches as well as a switch to LED backlighting on some models, which should improve image quality while helping battery life at the same time. [full story]

January 14 - 4:05pm EST   Intel has begun distributing the details of Shelton, a set of low-cost notebook specifications, market sources claim. At Shelton's heart is a Diamondville CPU, built with a single 1.6GHz core, and a 533MHz front-side bus. The chip consumes a mere 3.5W of power, contributing to a total power consumption of just 8W. This should give Shelton systems between three and four hours of battery life. The processor is meanwhile attached to a 945GSE motherboard, which supports DirectX 9-level integrated graphics and single-channel DDR2 memory. [full story]

December 3 - 11:45am EST   MSI today added a twist to its smallest notebook with the PR200 Crystal Edition. Looking to appeal to a certain side of its female audience, the system builder's version of the 12-inch portable switches from black to pearl white and adds 120 crystals to the ring around the MSI logo to provide a pseudo-upscale appearance; it also comes with a color-matching mouse and a 1GB USB flash drive also topped with crystals to match its host system. [full story]