MSI Wind to use Intel Atom CPU, ships June 16

(Credit: MSI)

Surprising no one, MSI today announced its forthcoming mininotebook will feature an Intel Atom CPU. The rest of the specifications for the MSI Wind remain unchanged from those we saw last month when MSI was dancing around the CPU question. Today's announcement, however, did include an official price and a ship date. The Windows-based MSI Wind will cost $499 and will be released on June 16. Linux versions will cost $399, but they won't be out until "later this summer."

The Windows version features XP Home, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU on the Intel 945GMS chipset, 1GB of 667MHz memory, and an 80GB hard drive. The laptop weighs 2.6 pounds and has a 10-inch display, which is LED backlit with a 1024x600 resolution. Bluetooth and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi are onboard, as is a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, three USB ports, and a 4-in-1 media card reader. The 6-cell battery is rated to run for 5.5 hours.

CNET Reviews is scheduled to get one next week; look for our review on or before June 16. We expect our package to look similar to this.