MSI Netbook sports solid-state and hard drives

(Credit: MSI)

MSI has launched a Netbook that uses both solid-state and hard-disk drives.

The U115 Hybrid comes with a solid-state disk for most of the PC's operations, together with a hard-disk drive that can optionally be used for storage. An "ECO on mode" temporarily disengages the hard drive; MSI claimed this mode extends battery life, as solid-state drives are generally more power-efficient than their spinning-disc counterparts.

Apart from its use of both SSD and HDD technologies, the U115 Hybrid closely follows the standard Netbook template.

The 10-inch screen has a resolution of 1,024 x 600. The device uses a 1.6GHz Z530 Intel Atom processor, Windows XP Home, and a gigabyte of DDR2 533MHz RAM. Bluetooth is included, as are three USB 2.0 ports.

Buyers can choose between a 1.3-megapixel or 2.0-megapixel webcam; a three- or six-cell battery; and 802.11b/g/n or 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. The machine comes with two possible combinations of drives: A 120GB hard drive with an 8GB solid-state drive, or a 160GB hard drive with a 16GB solid-state drive.

The U115 Hybrid weighs around 1kg with the three-cell battery.

Although MSI claimed in its release that the U115 Hybrid's battery life is "super-long", it did not specify the estimated battery life. Release details and pricing were also not mentioned in the release.