MSI claims 12-hour battery life for Wind U115 netbook, confirms WiMAX for U120

MSI just forged ahead in the netbook milliampere-hour race, claiming 12 hours on a charge for its newest models. It could well be long enough to take the holy grail of laptop battery life: a no-bullshit Day of Work with the radios on and the screen at a reasonable level of brightness.

It's for their already-announced U115, sequel to it's successful and OSX-compatible Wind U110. The claimed life is a result of its combination of SSD and HDD drives, a 6-cell battery, and "Eco Mode," a power management system tailored to the hardware. It'll get the sort of wake-time you'd normally have to buy silly aftermarket batteries the size and weight of bricks to get.

It also confirmed the U120, the first netbook that may be optionally configured with WiMAX, and other new laptops. Press release excerpts follow.

Wind NetOn – MSI will display 16”, 19” and 22” versions of the new All-In-One Wind NetOn line at CES. The AE1901 model is the world’s first All-In-One to be equipped with the Intel® dual-core Atom processor, which improves operational performance and conserves energy. The AE1901’s power consumption is only 20% of that of a normal PC (250W). Its super thin appearance, wall-hung design, 16:9 HD display, touch screen and optional wireless connection will make it one of the most talked about products at CES.

G-Series – MSI will also be exhibiting the newest additions to its G-Series Gaming Notebook line at CES. This includes the GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420 – MSI’ first 14” model which features a 16:9 screen. MSI is especially excited to demonstrate GT725 and GT727, the first two models to break the 10,000 point 3Dmark barrier. MSI will also introduce the world to its first eco-friendly Carbon-Fiber Concept Gaming Notebook.

E-Series – MSI will also be launching two new versions of the advanced E-series Notebooks – EX625 and EX623. These new models feature ATI Radeon HD4670 video cards, a subwoofer, Dolby Surround II capabilities, 16:9 cinema-level displays, and Blue-ray optical drives.

[#1 posted by Anonymous , January 6, 2009 11:56 AM]

Now why exactly didn't they equip the U115 with HSUPA? I'm not going to buy either of these, since both of them are missing something.