Buy the Wind 123 at Amazon or eBay.

Although not a well known manufacturer, MSI has had considerable success in the netbook category. The U123 takes the company’s previous laptop, and builds on it through a slightly faster processor and substantially better battery life.

The MSI Wind U123 includes many of the features common to 10 inch netbooks. These include a 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, and Windows XP Home. Complementing the typical features is the faster than normal Intel N280, running at 1.66 GHz. This is not a huge step up from most netbooks, but should provide a slightly smoother experience.

MSI took criticisms of the original Wind to heart, including a much higher capacity battery in the U123. The computer is available with either a 6 or 9 cell battery, the 9 cell running at a somewhat higher price. Both computers are rated at about 1 hour battery life per cell.

The MSI Wind 123’s include a few additional features, such as a built-in microphone, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11G wireless networking, and 3 USB drives.

Although the Wind does not stand out too far from the pack, it includes all the features most people are looking for in a netbook – combined with an attractive shell and sub $400 price.

Check out all the Wind 123 models at eBay, or in Blue and Red at Amazon.