IT-ServicesMSI Unveils X-Slim; Goes After MacBook Air.
The netbook class of mobile computing is quickly becoming the most lucrative of the computing world, and along with that comes fierce competition to win over the customers, MSI is now showing off a sleek pair of X-Slim netbooks.
Building on top of the popular MSI WIND U100 model of netbook, MSI now introduces the X-Slim X340 and X600 netbooks, currently in China only. The major aspect of the new pair is that they are extremely thin, resembling that of Apple"s MacBook Air.
Specifications for the X340 arenò€™t much different than those of the X320 shown at CES back in January. The X320 shown at CES weighed 2.8 pounds, had a four-cell battery and 1366 x 768 pixel resolution 13.4-inch display. The main difference between the X340 and X320 is said to be that the X340 contains an ultra low voltage (ULV) Intel Penryn processor and GMA4500 graphics with HDMI output. The exact ULV Penryn model has yet to be announced.
The X600 model appears to play big brother to the X340. Known specifications of the X600 at this time are that it uses the Intel Centrino 2 platform, has a 15.6-inch 16:9 display and weighs in at just a little over 4 pounds. Other features are 3 USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port as well as both VGA and HDMI outputs and wired Ethernet. Nothing is currently known about WiFi or Bluetooth technologies for either model at this time though it is a safe bet they will be included.
The MSI X-Slim X600 is slated to have its full launch at the upcoming CeBIT 2009 where the rest of the cats will be let out of the bag. Pricing is also unknown for the X600 but MSI has made mention of the X340 retailing somewhere between US$699 and US$999.