MSI brought two of its earliest PCs using AMD's Fusion technology to the US on Thursday. The Wind Top AE2050 headlines the group by putting AMD's 1.6GHz E-350 into a 20-inch, multi-touch all-in one. Moving to the chip cuts power use by as much as 74 percent over a typical desktop but still gives it proper 1080p playback and otherwise modern Radeon HD 6310 graphics.
MSI's tablet plans at CES were surprisingly modest and focused mostly on production versions of the prototype WindPads as well as its all-in-one Angelow and Butterfly concepts. We managed to get our hands on the genuinely changed tablet, the Android-based WindPad 100A, as well as the 100W and both of the unique desktop concepts. Read ahead for our impressions of both and why the WindPad may prove problematic.
MSI today gave an early look at the all-in-one Wind Top desktops it will show at CES, including a pair of new concepts. The Butterfly is a unique attempt to address criticisms from Apple and others that using an upright touchscreen can be tiring. The 10-point multitouch LCD slides down and out, letting users more comfortably touch it when necessary but bring it back to its regular position for mouse and keyboard use.
MSI has added another Wind Top model, the Wind Top AC1900. The all-in-one PC includes an 18.5-inch screen with a 1366x768 resolution, driven by Intel's integrated GMA X4500 graphics. The processor is key to an entry-level focus as the new desktop uses Intel's dual-core 2.6GHz Celeron paired with 2GB of RAM, though this is optionally upgraded to 4GB.
MSI in a low-key move has posted an update for its devices that gives most of them support for charging the iPad. The i-Charger fix gives many of its mainboards, along with its all-in-one desktops and notebooks, the 1.2 amps of current needed to charge Apple's tablet from their USB ports. It can automatically recognize when Apple's hardware is attached and step up from the usual 0.5 amps when needed.
MSI today launched a handful of new systems ahead of its CeBIT appearance, including a new GT series gaming notebook. The GT660 is intended as a desktop replacement and pays unusual attention to sound: MSI claims to have worked with a "leader in sound system design" to tune the enclosure and speakers to provide better than usual notebook audio. Performance is accordingly high with a quad Core i7 and a GeForce GTX 285M for graphics, and the GT660 is one of MSI's first notebooks with USB 3.0 ports.
MSI at CES has rolled out a suite of new systems but notably has also trotted out a pair of prototypes signaling possible plans to get into tablet-class devices. At its booth, the company has been demonstrating a 10-inch tablet using the dual-core Tegra 250. While somewhat heavy, it runs Android and appears to be very responsive, if heavy compared to smaller tablets at the show. Spokespeople didn't have detailed specifications, but it should be capable of 1080p video courtesy of the processor.
PC maker MSI on Monday has officially announced specs, pricing and availability for its eco-friendly Wind Top AE1900 all-in-one PC for North America. The PC features a built-in 18.5-inch touchscreen with 1366x768 resolution, while processing power comes from a 1.6GHz Atom 230 CPU and 1GB of RAM. Graphics processing comes courtesy of an integrated GMA 950 chipset. The standard 2.5-inch, 160GB or optional 250GB hard drive is preloaded with Windows XP Home operating system. MSI claims the AE1900 consumes 80 percent less energy than a traditional desktop PC, and no more than 50W of power at full operation.
