Here’s the moment many of you Eee-wannabees have been waiting for, the official announcement of the 10-inch, 1,204 x 600 LED-backlit MSI Wind. No surprises here on the leakiest of all netbooks. Still, when you consider that your $399 buys you a Linux-based system riding atop Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom processor, an 80GB 2.5-inch disk, 5.5-hour rated battery, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g WiFi, it makes the $625 price of the Eee PC 1000(H) pretty tough to justify. Unless 802.11n and that beefier battery really do it for you. If the price doesn’t sway you then how about a review? Laptop magazine just published their thoughts on the $499 XP model and gave it their “editor’s choice” award calling the Wind “the best all-around mini-notebook to date.” Now the bad news: the XP Wind ships June 16th while the el-cheapo Linux version won’t ship until later this summer. Full press release and specs posted after the break.

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Read — Review

The 2.6 lbs Wind features 5+ HR battery life, Windows XP, ergonomic keyboard, and 80G hard drive all for under $500

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – June 3rd, 2008 – MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is excited to announce the official launch of the much anticipated Wind Notebook. The Wind, an acronym for “Wi-Fi Network Device,” is the first 10″ notebook to feature the speedy new Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz processor

“Intel is excited to collaborate with MSI to usher in the next generation of mobile computing devices,” said Steve Dallman, Intel VP Sales and marketing Group and GM, Worldwide Reseller Channel Organization. “The Wind’s user–friendly design, combined with the low power and 45nm High-K process of the Intel Atom processor, makes for an exceptional netbook.”

Weighing in at just 2.6 lbs, MSI designed the Wind to be lightweight and ultra mobile, without sacrificing convenience or performance. The Wind features an ergonomically designed keyboard that is only 20% smaller than of a full sized keyboard, with keys spaced a comfortable 0.68 inches apart. Business travelers will welcome the extended battery life available with the Windows based version, which provides up to 5.5 hours of untethered work time.

The Windows version of the Wind features an 80G / 2.5″ SATA hard drive, which further sets it apart from other ultra portable notebooks, whose manufacturers have compromised memory capacity to save space. The Wind’s display features embedded LED power-saving backlight technology, which provides superior color quality and brightness. This innovative notebook also comes standard with a 1.3M webcam, Bluetooth capabilities, 3 USB ports and a 4-in-1 card reader.

The Windows version of the Wind is priced at $499 MSRP, and will be available for purchase starting June 16th, 2008 at www.msimobile.com. The Linux based models of the Wind will be available at the same site later this summer for $399 MSRP.

Guess what? We’re off the Eee (and your mama) and onto the launch of the competition. This time, it’s Acer’s Aspire One. The Atom-based, 8.9-inch, 1024 x 600 pixel laptop runs your choice of XP or Linux and packs 802.11b/g WiFi, up to 1GB of memory, an 8GB SSD or 2.5-inch 80GB, SD card slot, and optional 6-cell battery. It’ll also sport an integrated WiMax module when the networks finally light up. Expected to hit the US in September for $399 (that’s still unofficial) with a 3-cell, 2200mAh battery, standard. Puhlease. A few more snaps after the break, the rest at Engadget Chinese.