MSI Wind U123 and ASUS 1000HE Show Netbook Evolution
by Wesley Fink on July 17, 2009 12:02 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Evolution of the Netbook
While it has only been about a year and a half since the ASUS Eee first defined the netbook market, the netbook has quickly evolved and has become one of the hottest items for sale in the computer market. No doubt part of that appeal has been the worldwide economic downturn, which has made a complete cheap computer a much more attractive purchase than it might be in good economic times. The appeal, however, is arguably more than just a low price, and every US computer company, with the exception of Apple, has quickly jumped into the netbook market.
The new competitors have tried to offer more features, bigger screens, more powerful processors, and longer battery life than the original ASUS Eee. As a result the latest netbook models now sport 10" screens, Intel Atom processors (Instead of the earlier Celeron), and generally the promise of a computer system that sips power to provide longer battery life.
| Netbook Feature Comparison | ||||||||
| Model | CPU | Chipset | Screen | Mfg. Battery Life | Weight as tested |
Battery Capacity | Wh Power | Resolution |
| Asus 1000HE | Atom N280 | 945GSE | 10.1" | 9.5 hrs | 3.16 lbs | 7.2v-8700 mAh | 62.6 | 1024x600 |
| MSI Wind U123 | Atom N280 | 945GSE | 10.3" | 8 hrs | 3.24 lbs | 11.1v-7800 mAh | 86.6 | 1024x600 |
| Asus 1000HA | Atom N270 | 945 Express | 10.1" | 7 hrs | 3.19 lbs | 7.4v-6600 mAh | 62.6 | 1024x600 |
| Asus PC 901 | Atom N270 | 945 Express | 8.9" | 8 hrs | 2.50 lbs | 7.4v-6600 mAh | 62.6 | 1024x600 |
| Asus PC 4G | Celeron M900 | 915GM/GMS | 7" | 2.8 hrs | 2.04 lbs | 7.4v-5200 mAh | 38.5 | 800x480 |
Comparing the developing ASUS Eee line and its competitors you can see the processor has evolved from the original Celeron M900 to the Intel Atom N270 as the netbooks moved to larger screens. The two netbooks we are comparing today both feature the slightly faster Intel Atom N280, which is replacing the N270 in most netbook designs. The N280 is essentially the same CPU as the N270 running at a slightly faster 1.66GHz compared to the 1.6GHz of the N270. The N280 bus speed is also slightly faster at 667MHz instead of the 533MHz of the N270. For more information on the Atom processors see Intel's Atom Architecture: The Journey Begins and the recent look at the Atom of the near future in Intel Unveils Next-Generation Atom Details.
The original Eee PC 4G (far right) featured a 7" LCD screen with a resolution of 800x480. Most users longed for something larger and LCD technology was rapidly driving down the costs of LCD screens at the same time. The next generation of netbook, the Eee PC 900/901 featured a 9" screen at 1024x600. Current generation screens are generally around 10" with the same 1024x600 resolution. Several manufacturers have recently introduced or announced netbooks with a 12" screen. The Acer Aspire One ZA3, with an 11.6" screen and 1333x768 resolution, has just arrived in our labs for review.
As screen size has grown, so has the physical size and weight of the typical netbook. The 2 pound PC 4G of 2007 is now more typically around 3.2 pounds. However, the extra weight is not really screen or CPU as much as it is increased battery capacity. Manufacturers are keenly aware of the extra weight in the newest netbooks, and ASUS offers 6-cell and 3-cell versions of the 1000HE. MSI similarly offers both 9-cell and 6-cell versions of the Wind U123. This allows the buyer to determine which is more important to them - longer battery life or lighter weight.
There is also no doubt that the original 9" x 7" of the PC 4G has now grown to 10.5" x 9" in the larger screen 1000H series. This will likely continue as manufacturers try to provide larger screens, more computing power, and even longer battery life in future netbook models.
Almost all current netbook models now feature a 1024x600 screen, an Atom processor, around 1GB of memory, built-in LAN, WiFi, and in some cases Bluetooth connectivity, a webcam ideal for Skype communications, Windows XP, and a hard drive typically providing around 160GB of storage. Some netbooks ship with Linux and Unix-family operating systems as the standard OS or as an option, and the recent announcement by Google that they will develop a Chrome OS for netbooks promises even more OS variety in the future. None of the netbooks tested so far offer an optical drive option although all feature the necessary USB ports to install an external DVD (or BD/DVD) drive.
None of the currently tested netbooks included an SSD drive. The SSD seems an ideal match to a netbook computer, but cost is still relatively high for Solid State Drives compared to the low-power 1.8"/2.5" drives currently used in most netbooks. A few manufacturers like ASUS and OCZ do offer SSD options and more SSD drives may appear in future models.
Prices for the tested netbook models ranged from $300 for the original ASUS PC 4G to $400 for the two recent models from ASUS and MSI. That is an extremely tight price range for a computer and demonstrates the price sensitivity of the netbook market. A few netbooks reach into the $500+ range with added features, but for now netbooks are clearly an "under $400" market in the United States.
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Ruark - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
I have an MSI notebook with buttons that seem to be much like those of the Wind.Many buttons (keyboard and touchpad) have to be pressed beyond the "click" in order for the press to register.
strikeback03 - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
When I saw this article I was hoping for a comparison to some of the low-end larger-screened notebooks available. I have been seeing Newegg deals on 14 and 15 inch notebooks for $350-400, I'd expect these to provide 3-4 times the performance of the tested netbooks but it would be a nice point of reference for those who are looking for a cheap system that doesn't need to be as portable. If you are buying for your 6th grader to do their homework, size and weight are less important than if you are flying cross-country.Also, i wouldn't say BluRay playback and gaming are the only areas unsuited for netbooks. After all, a netbook with Ion would be able play BluRay files (off a hard drive at least), but nothing short of a much after processor is going to make tasks like photo editing or video transcoding tolerable on a netbook.
KeypoX - Sunday, July 19, 2009 - link
I dont see the difference between 3 pounds and 6 pounds... Netbooks are cute but have no more functionality than a cell phone.I have seen people in school with them, they generally disappear and have a 15" laptop very soon.
jeff486 - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
Just some general comments as I agree with the above post. This article did not really answer the question about whether or not a Netbook can replace a low end Notebook you can pickup on clearance at places like newegg or tigerdirect. I am just looking for an inexpensive second system to toss in the bag when I travel and maybe something the kids can use while I am at home. The size of these would be perfect as the company I work for has our notebooks so locked down that even windows media player is no longer active. I will be lugging two systems around so weight and size is very important.I want to know how well it handles office applications, can it play movies/tv shows I transcoded for travel and how well does the wireless connection work. If I want to watch a TV show on Hulu does it offer decent enough playback quality via the wired or wireless connection. I watch most of my TV shows this way when traveling. How is battery playback when watching movies as those four hour flights showing the same movie over and over get boring.
Someone already mentioned this but do the webcams work and is skype video supported as I like to see my kids after getting back to the hotel room. How is the audio quality with a pair of headphones attached? I do not game so that is not important but it would be nice to know if Peggle or Disney Toon Town or other kids games play on it. At home I could probably trust a couple of seven year olds with the machine.
Most of the articles around here answer my questions and it is why I like visiting the website but this article left me with more questions than it answered.
AstroGuardian - Sunday, July 19, 2009 - link
So, the webcams work as intended with descent perfs. I tested a MSI U100 6 month back and webcam was great. The audio is also with standard quality and there is nothing to cry about. Most of 2D games will work on it. Even Counter Strike 1.6 works flawless with 800x600.bgold2005 - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
The image seems to show the 1000HE with an illuminated keyboard, yet no text in the article refers to this. I like this feature; shouldn't it have been at least briefly touched upon/ added to the comparisons?After all, netbooks are ultra-portable and mat be in some very shady, or porrly-lit, locales.
(although it did lead me to a merry search involving stick-on keys, glow-paint, etc). Apparently this will be a feature in upcoming Asus models (unclear whether just notebooks or also netbooks)
JackPack - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
The keys on the 1000HE do not illuminate or glow.Bolas - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
I assume this is a typo?"The N280 is essentially the same CPU as the N280"
You could have a much more thorough article if you didn't stop with just the N280 comparison... Why not compare all the CPU's to themselves?
The Core-i7 is essentially the same CPU as the Core-i7.
The Pentium 4 is essentially the same CPU as the Pentium 4.
The Phenom II is essentially the same CPU as the Phenom II.
*grin*
Bolas - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
I assume this is a typo?"The N280 is essentially the same CPU as the N280"
You could have a much more thorough article if you didn't stop with just the N280 comparison... Why not compare all the CPU's to themselves?
The Core-i7 is essentially the same CPU as the Core-i7.
The Pentium 4 is essentially the same CPU as the Pentium 4.
The Phenom II is essentially the same CPU as the Phenom II.
*grin*
Wesley Fink - Friday, July 17, 2009 - link
Typo corrected. Thanks for letting us know.