The MSI Wind netbook is quickly gaining ground as one of the most popular, reliable, and durable sub-$350 and sub-$300 notebook computer models. Here are the strengths of the latest releases of the MSI Wind.

Typing

The keyboard is 80% of the size of a normal full size keyboard, but the keys never feel cramped, and even men with bigger hands can type comfortably. The feedback, or springiness, of the keys, help provide tactile feedback to improve typing accuracy.

However, the larger keys like shift and enter keys are a little smaller than average, so you may find yourself pressing the wrong key entirely if you misjudge the key placement.

Viewing

The screen size is just large enough to accommodate the width of most web pages, and the screen is sharp, though the viewing angle degrades pretty quickly if you try to watch a video or view the screen at anything much beyond a straight-on angle.

DVDs and other video formats run surprisingly well, and battery life is not hugely degraded by running movies. There is almost no skipping.

Usability

You can run all your normal programs on the MSI Wind Netbook, and even most games that are older than a few years. Any game that was released in years of Windows XP will run, as will some newer resource intensive games. World of Warcraft, for example, runs just fine on normal settings on the MSI netbook. Office 2007 will run perfectly as well, as will Photoshop.

Mobility

The MSI Wind models are only a few pounds, with rounded corners that are perfect for slipping into a bag without having to worry about snagging anything. They’re durable for their size and price range, and are made of good quality materials so they definitely don’t feel cheap.

There’s a strong wireless access card built into the netbook, along with a webcam that takes decent quality videos and a pretty good built-in microphone.

Overall Impressions

The MSI Wind is one of the best netbook computers you will find on the market this year. The MSI Wind has all the qualities of a normal laptop while being much easier to carry around, and with a much better battery life.