Hybrid Wind Gets Official

Yesterday MSI officially announced the U115 Hybrid, “The World’s First Hybrid Storage Netbook”.  Hybrid does not refer to electric/gasoline, of course, but dual hard drives — SSD and HDD.  The computer will use both drives simultaneously.  The operating system will live on the smaller SSD drive while files go on the hard drive.  MSI says in its press release that “the SSD system is much faster than HDD when retrieving files and it takes up less power . It is also much more shock-absorbent while riding on the train or the MRT.” The U115 will also have an ECO on mode, which disconnects the HDD and promises to deliver extra long battery life.  It looks like users will be able to choose between a 3 and 6-cell battery, but there’s no information on just how long “Super Long Battery Life” actually is.  If it can beat out the original MSI Wind, the U115 will be in good shape.  If it can outdo the Samsung NC10′s 6.5 hour endurance, it may end up as king of the hill. Other specs include the familiar Intel Atom processor (Z530 instead of  N270, though) coupled with the Intel Menlow Platform that emphasizes connectivity, speed, and multitasking without quickly draining the battery. I admit it; my appetite is whetted.  I can’t wait to get my hands on the U115.  Sadly, there’s no availibility or pricing info yet.