Tech News and Reviews
Posts tagged MSI
MSI shows off convertible ‘SketchBook’ laptop concept
May 21st
Well, it looks like MSI isn’t waiting for Computex to show off some of its wild, new concept devices — it’s just unveiled this so-called “SketchBook” at an event in Amsterdam. Offering a new twist on the convertible laptop, this one doesn’t actually convert into a tablet, but rather features a rotating base that has a keyboard on one side and a full-size graphics tablet on the other — hence the name. Unfortunately, MSI is staying mum on any other details at the moment — let alone pricing or availability — but our counterparts at Engadget Spanish did get a chance to check out an early, non-functioning prototype of the device. Check out a shot of it after the break, and hit up the source link below for the complete hands-on.
MSI’s Slatebook 10-inch Atom tablet is not what we’ve been waiting for
May 12th
DigiTimes has it that MSI will be showcasing a 10-inch Windows 7 “Slatebook” tablet at Computex in June — just as we had heard a few weeks ago. According to its sources which tend to be pretty solid at Taiwanese shops, the sub-$500 tablet will feature an e-book reader with a negotiated content provider, 3G and WiFi wireless, and Windows 7 running on Intel’s old Menlow-class of Atom Zxx processors. It’s not running Android on Tegra 2 like the unit above that we handled at CES six months prior, MSI is apparently still evaluating market demand before making any such commitment. So dear readers, why not let MSI know exactly how you feel about its design choices in the comments below.
MSI Android, Windows 7 tablets launching in June, dualscreen delayed until Q4
Apr 30th
It looks like ASUS won’t be the only Taiwanese manufacturer whipping out new tablets at Computex in early June, and MSI will be joining the party with its Android and Windows 7 touchscreen devices. According to the company, the tablets will come in 8.9- and 10-inch varieties, and will ship sometime in the third quarter. We can’t promise you big M’s Tegra 2 and Atom-powered slates will be all that different from what we’ve been seeing from the others out there, but we are told the pricing will be “extremely aggressive.” That’s intriguing, but unfortunately, that awesome dualscreen tablet we saw at CES is farther behind. According to MSI’s Andy Tung, the hardware implementation is the reason for the delay as the Atom-based tablet is not providing adequate endurance. “The two screens are a major drain on the battery, and even with a higher density battery and the Menlow CPU we are only getting three hours,” he said. It looks like we will be waiting until the fourth quarter to get some two screen action, though we guess we could always pick up an Android and Win 7 slate and tape ‘em together.
According to the company, the tablets will come in 8.9- and 10-inch varieties, and will ship sometime in the third quarter. We can’t promise you big M’s Tegra 2 and Atom-powered slates will be all that different from what we’ve been seeing from the others out there, but we are told the pricing will be “extremely aggressive.” That’s intriguing, but unfortunately, that awesome dualscreen tablet we saw at CES is farther behind. According to MSI’s Andy Tung, the hardware implementation is the reason for the delay as the Atom-based tablet is not providing adequate endurance. “The two screens are a major drain on the battery, and even with a higher density battery and the Menlow CPU we are only getting three hours,” he said. It looks like we will be waiting until the fourth quarter to get some two screen action, though we guess we could always pick up an Android and Win 7 slate and tape ‘em together.
MSI MT-V660 MP4 Player with 3.2 inch Touch Screen and TV-out Function – 4GB
Mar 17th
This MSI MT-V660 MP4 player adopts RK2806 chipset, compatible with AVI、MKV、RMVB、MPG、DAT、VOB、FLV、MOV、MP4 video formats, 16:9, 14:9 video playback, Support SMI、SRT、SSA subtitle，MKV subtitle；and MP3、AC3、DTS、AAC、OGG、RA audio decode, and 720P TV-out. MT-V660 player features 3.2 inch 480×320 pixels touch screen, easy to operate. Good for music playback, supports MP3、WMA、APE、FLAC、OGG、WAV、AAC formats. To be as digital photo frame, compatible with JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG picture formats, Support picture browsing function, rotary, slide show and zoom. MSI MT-V660 is very small and portable digital device, but integrates with perfect music and video playback.
Product page: http://www.ownta.com/msi-mt-v660-mp4-player-with-3.2-inch-touch-screen-and-tv-out-function-4gb.html
MSI announces GE700 gaming laptop for those who like to be entertained
Mar 16th
You can’t go more than a few days without MSI dropping another new laptop, and today’s is the GE700. It’s not only 100 more than the GE600 from a few weeks ago, but a little bit bigger, sporting a 17.3-inch LCD with an unspecified resolution, up to a nine cell battery, and room for dual hard disks of up to 500GB apiece. Graphics are again handled by an ATI Radeon HD5730, processing again done by an Intel Core i5 chip, and there’s a 720p webcam for live-streaming your every blemish. No word on price for this 3.2kg (7lb) machine, but MSI doesn’t tend to waste much time in getting these things to retail.
MSI’s Wind U160 netbook up for grabs in the US
Mar 11th
Got a hankering for Pine Trail? We attest to a certain weakness ourselves, and now MSI’s Wind U160 netbook is on sale for $380 to fulfill your Atom N450 snacking needs. We were intrigued by the little laptop when we played with it back at CES, particularly if its standard 6-cell battery hump can really produce the quoted 14 hours of life. For whatever reason Newegg and Buy.com are showing now-shipping right now, while Amazon’s lagging with pre-orders only at this point, but we’re sure you’ll make the right retail choice, whatever happens.
MSI serves up Core i5 within 13-inch X-Slim X360 ultraportable
Mar 11th
Those lowly Core 2 Duo chips already feel like a long forgotten memory, and frankly, that’s a-okay with us. MSI is helping its seductive X-Slim line get a taste of Intel’s Core 2010 lineup with a Core i5-520UM processor, which sits alongside up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB / 320GB / 500GB hard drive, integrated graphics, a 13-inch (1,366 x 768 resolution) panel, HDMI / VGA outputs, a pair of USB 2.0 sockets, 4- or 8-cell battery and an SD / MMC card reader. There’s also built-in WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, twin speakers and a chassis that measures under 1-inch thick. Per usual, MSI is in no hurry to out pricing and release details, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye (or two) out for both.
MSI starts shipping two 12.1-inch, AMD-powered Wind12 U230 netbooks
Mar 11th
It sure took ‘em long enough — just over four months if you’re keeping score — but MSI has finally shipped its next-generation netbook. The AMD-powered Wind12 U230 has left the docks today in two distinct flavors (the U230-033 and U230-040), with both touting Windows 7 Home Premium, a 12.1-inch WXGA (1,366 x 768) display, ATI’s Radeon HD3200 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 6-cell battery and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The duo also features three USB sockets, VGA / HDMI outputs, an Ethernet port, audio in / out, a 4-in-1 card reader and a chassis that weighs in at 3.3 pounds. As for the differences? The former ships with an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 under the hood and a 250GB HDD, while the latter sports an Athlon X2 L335 CPU and a 320GB platter. Both are available for the taking right now at NewEgg, though it’s on you to decide if the second model is really worth the extra $50 over the $429.99 base price.
MSI and ASUS show off 3D all-in-ones at CeBIT
Mar 3rd
There’s no escaping that 3D trend, that’s for sure. Both ASUS and MSI are demoing 3D versions of their respective all-in-one PCs here at CeBIT, though both companies say they are just concept models at this point. ASUS’ 3D Eee Top wasn’t up and running, but there was a pair of NVIDIA-branded glasses next to it which hints that they may be exploring putting 3D Vision into its touchscreen system. We had better luck at MSI, where we got to put on a rather large pair of shades and watch some very happy show-goers play Left 4 Dead in 3D. We’re not sure what to make of the 3D in a touchscreen all-in-one thing, but it was pretty cool to just tap the screen to enable some three-dimensional images. Hit the break for a quick video of MSI’s 3D Wind Top.
MSI announces GT660 gaming laptop ahead of CeBIT
Feb 25th
We’ve already heard about some of the systems MSI has in store for CeBIT — including a 3D-capable Wind Top — but it looks like the company still has bit more lined up, including this new GT660 gaming laptop. In addition to the requisite red accents to make it go faster, this one packs a quad-core Core i7 processor, along with GeForce GTX 285M and, just as notably, some USB 3.0 ports to ensure your peripherals are just as speedy. Still no word on a price or other specifics, but MSI is promising to say more about this and the rest of its new systems at CeBIT next week.
