While MSI's original Wind netbooks were very successful, they were a little chunky and not the most desirable. With its 10.1in Wind U160, MSI is going all-out for style.
We have to say that it's been pretty successful. The cylinder hinge makes the Wind U160 look more like something from Sony, which is no bad thing, and its silm case and neatly sculptured edges make it look more like a desirable ultra-portable than a standard netbook.
The laptop's available in two colours. We looked at the gold version (part code U160-049UK). To us, it looks very similar to the shade of gold that seems to only be used on Mercedes estate cars available in the Middle East. That's not to say it's a bad thing, as we quite liked the subtle shade of gold. The more sedate netbook owner can always opt for the standard black version instead (part code U160-048UK).
If you look at MSI's list of specifications, or indeed the rather prominent stickers, on the netbook, you'll see that the U160 is proudly proclaimed as weighing just 1kg and it's less than 1in thick. However, these figures have to be taken with a pinch of salt, as they refer to the model that ships with a three-cell battery, while the UK version will ship with a six-cell battery only.
This larger battery protrudes from the bottom of the netbook and adds an extra 200g in weight, making the laptop slightly more than an inch thick at the rear and weighing 1.2kg: very similar to most other 10.1in laptops. We're not overly concerned by this, as the bigger battery helps stand the Wind U160 more comfortably on a desk for typing and improves battery life significantly.
