The new MSI Wind U160 is a fairly standard netbook in most respects, with its battery life being one of its few standout features.

The extended battery life is thanks to its six-cell battery, which MSI claims offers up to 15 hours of performance. (Though this quoted figure of course depends on how you’re using the computer – more intensive applications will not give you 15 hours of battery life.) Unfortunately, the battery adds a fair bit of bulk to the back of the unit, which is somewhat of a contradiction when you consider most people buy a netbook for the portability factor.

On the inside, the U160 isn’t vastly different to other netbooks. It features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and GMA 3150 graphics card, plus a 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM and the Windows 7 Starter Edition operating system. Similarly, there’s nothing too remarkable on the outside either – the screen measures 10.1-inches with 1024×600 pixel resolution and connectivity consisits of a VGA port, three USB connection and an SD card reader.

The MSI Wind U160’s Australian RRP is $549.

Buy a cheap MSI netbook on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The upcoming Samsung N310 is yet another netbook that is a combination of basic functionality and slick design.

The fact of the matter is that netbooks are by definition basic, compact laptops that are used for tasks such as email and web browsing, so there isn’t a lot of wiggle room when it comes to features. One of the main areas in which netbooks can distinguish themselves is in terms of design, and that’s the route Samsung has taken with the N310.

The Samsung N310 was designed by renowned Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa and comes in black, orange, dark blue and light blue. It’s not the lightest netbook you’ll come across, but is still fairly portable, weighing in at just under 1.3kg.

Specifications of the Samsung N310 include a 10.1-inch screen with 1024×600 resolution, 802.11g Wi-Fi and three USB ports. It’s powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor.

Australian pricing for the Samsung N310 netbook will be confirmed closer to the release date.

Buy a cheap netbook on sale

By Caroline Warnes