Since the introduction of MSI Wind Netbook in Malaysia as a competitor for Asus Eee PC range and HP Mini netbook, they have had their share of fans. The new MSI Wind U135 in Malaysia is the first netbook from MSI using the Intel’s Pine Trail platform.
By using the new Intel Pine Trail platform, MSI has ditch the aging Intel Atom N270/N280 and replaced with the new Intel Atom N450. With newer processor and technology platform came improved performance and power management.
Intel® Atom™ Processor N450 (512K Cache, 1.66 GHz)
1GB DDR2 RAM (Upgradeable to 2GB)
250GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
10′ Widescreen Display 1024×600 (WSVGA)
Intel NM10 System Chipset
Intel GMA 3150 Graphic Chipset
Built-in 1.3 Mega Pixel Webcam
802.11b/g/n WLAN Card
Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
4-in-1 Card Reader 6 Cells Batter
Microsoft Windows 7 Starter
MSI Wind U135 Price in Malaysia at the time of writing: RM1399.00
The MSI Wind U135 casings are the same as other MSI Wind netbooks series, with glossy exterior, matte underside and glossy black palm rest. I was a bit disappointed when MSI didn’t include a DVI, Displayport or HDMI when other netbook manufacturer are including them in their netbook specification. MSI opted to use the single VGA output on their new MSI Wind U135 instead. The lack of USB 3.0 port is also quite disappointing as the development of SuperSpeed USB is underway. But when looking at the attractive price of MSI Wind U135, I guess you can’t complaint much. One improvement in the MSI Wind U135 design is trackpad size have increase by 20%. Although 20% increase in size seems not much, any improvement is welcome.
User’s experience on the MSI Wind U135 seems to be same as using other netbooks. The keyboard are smaller than some netbooks, but the key layout make it easier to use for typing. The trackpad, also 20% larger than previous model is another story. The trackpad on MSI Wind U135 does not include any multi-touch function. Scrolling using the trackpad on MSI Wind U135 is a bit hard. The MSI Wind U135 glossy display is sharp and crisp with good viewing angle. Some may prefer matte display instead of the glossy display though.
The performance on the MSI Wind U135 is actually quite good in the netbooks categories. Some of the performance improvements came from the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Operating System. Some of you may prefer to turn of the SuperFetch function in Windows 7 to decrease heat coming from the hard disk. The Superfetch in Windows 7 use hard disk constantly to cache applications so that i will open up faster the next time.
Although there a no major improvement in the MSI Wind U135 design, the inclusion of the new technology in hardware and software will make the MSI Wind U135 a good buy for those looking for their first netbook.
I just got back from my dealer today. Although I’m not in the business anymore, it pays to visit your dealer once in a while even just for a chat, as you will still get a dealer price for everything.
While I was there, he told me currently the best selling notebook and laptop is the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU.
I was not shocked to hear the news. As for me the Compaq Presario CQ40 AU series still is the best value for money notebook or laptop offered today.
The Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU still use the same shell as the other Compaq Presario CQ-40 AU series. That means it still looks as good as the others, modern look with the sleek silver casing.
The specification also does not differ much from other Compaq Presario CQ-40 AU series.
The default specification for Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU are as follow:
AMD Turion X2 Dual Core (2.0 Ghz)
14″1 WXGA Widescreen LCD
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics 250GB Hard disk drive
1024MB DDR2 Ram
DVD+/-RW Double Layer Drive
802.11 b/g Wireless Adapter
5 in 1 Card Reader
Built in webcam
6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery
FreeDOS Operating System Compaq carrying bag
There isn’t much to talk about the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU except that it won’t give you any trouble if you decide to use it as a personal computer, and run normal applications and tasks. Although the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU is equipped ATI Radeon HD, the 3200 series is not meant for serious gaming.
As with all Compaq Presario CQ40 AU series, the keyboard is comfortable to use, but I do find the slippery touchpad is odd to my liking.
Some retailers are offering sweet deals for the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU such as free upgrade to 2048MB (2GB) of RAM, free pendrive and other accessories such as optical mouse. You might want to find such retailers if you are thinking of getting the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU.
HP has dubbed the HP Pavillion DV4-1038TX as an entertainment notebook PC. Looking at the HP Pavillion DV4-1038TX specifications, it is not too hard to see why it is called an entertainment notebook PC by HP.
Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo P7350 (2.0Ghz)
2048MB DDR2 Ram
250GB Hard Disk Drive
14.1″ WXGA Widescreen LCD
DVD+/-RW Double Layer Drive
Nvidia Geforce 9200 GPU
Built in Bluetooth
Built in Web Cam Integrated TV Tuner
802.11b/g Wireless Adapter
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
5 Cell Lithium Ion Battery HP Carrying bag
Price at the time of writing: RM3999.00
The HP Pavillion DV4-1038TX was launched in Malaysia in early September this year. Until now, the notebook dubbed the entertainment notebook PC still are gaining popularity among Malaysia mobile computing user.
The HP Pavillion DV4-1038TX is solid machine. The 14.1″ screen are just the right size as it serves the same screen real estate as other 15″ models, but minus the weight. With the glossy screen display features, watching movies are a plus on this Pavillion DV4 model.
Another cool features on HP Pavillion DV4-1038TX worth mentioning are the media control above the keyboard. Appearing on a strip of light, this super sensitive touch control offer some shortcut button to the Pavillion control and usability. While these features are cool, some prefer a dial controller such as the on that came with the Toshiba Satellite L310-4016 reviewed before.
There aren’t any fault that I can found on the HP Pavillion DV4-1038TX notebook. It serves it purposes well as an entertainment notebook PC, and the asking price for the notebook in Malaysia are just right for the targeted market.
It was a happy day for the owner of a Mac laptop when the laptop she left behind in a toilet was found by an Airport cleaner.
Sirammah hands in the laptop to Raghbir Singh Ball
The owner of the left behind Mac, only want to be know as J. Tan told the media that she have left the laptop in the toilet due to fatique upon arriving from Singapore. The cleaner who found the laptop, Sirammah Ramasamy, 30 said that she found the laptop while cleaning the toilet in The Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang.
After she found the laptop, Sirammah immediately informed the airport authority to report the find.The day after the laptop was found, Malaysia Airports Sepang manager, Raghbir Singh Bhall handed the laptop back to the owner, J. Tan.
According to Raghbir Singh Bhall, averagely six laptop were reported missing each month at the airport.
AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core QL-60 (1.9Ghz)
12.1″ WXGA Touch Screen LCD
160GB Hard Disk Drive
2048MB DDR2 Ram
DVD Multi Double Layer Drive
802.11b/g Wireless Adapter
Built in Bluetooth
5 in 1 Card Reader
Built in Webcam
Finger Print Authentication
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft Windows Vista Premium HP Carrying bag
Price at the time of writing: RM2999.00
With 12.1″ screen display, the screen on HP Pavillion TX 2520AU will look a bit grainy for some, but usually the grainy screen will dissappear after 2 minutes. This maybe due to the factor the time taken by the screen to warm up. After that, the screen quality is fantastic for a touch screen laptop such as HP Pavillion TX 2520AU.
The keyboard on HP Pavillion TX 2520AU are perfectly laid out, and the size are just perfect for a normal built person. The weight on the TX 2520AU is also perfect considering the size of the laptop.
The asking price of RM2999.00 for a touch screen laptop is quite cheap with the quality that come with HP Pavillion TX 2520AU.
With the price starting from RM1899, Compaq Presario CQ40-115AU is situated in the low end range of notebook, mostly targeted at the budget conscious user looking for a new notebook.
AMD Turion X2 Dual Core (2.0 Ghz)
14″1 WXGA Widescreen LCD
160GB Hard disk drive
1024MB DDR2 Ram
DVD+/-RW Double Layer Drive
802.11 b/g Wireless Adapter
5 in 1 Card Reader
Built in webcam
6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery
FreeDOS Operating System Compaq carrying bag
Price at the time of writing: RM1899.00
From the specifications of Compaq Presario CQ40-115AU, we can tell that it is more than sufficient to carry out daily task such as browsing the web, or word processing. Playing latest games or doing multimedia task such as heavy video editing might be a bit hard on the Compaq Presario CQ40-115AU though.
Considering the price of DDR2 Ram are on the cheap right now, interesting buyer might want to consider upgrading the Memory on Compaq Presario CQ40-115AU to 2048MB to increase the notebook performance.
