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MSI X340-021US Slim 13.4-Inch Laptop – Black Review from Frederick Gaston. The perfect ulta-portable at a bargain price., After trying and returning an HP Mini 1000 from Verizon I ordered an X340 from Amazon and have no regrets. While I think the new 11.6″ form factor machines (e.g. Acer 751h) will be ideal for train use, I wanted the perfect ultra-portable for home which had a little more horsepower and a bigger screen. As others have said, while this machine costs double what a 10″ netbook does, it is a fraction of the price of a Macbook Air or Sony Vaio with pretty equivalent specs.

The packaging and design of the X340 are beautiful, and contrary to some other reviewers, I do not find it to be too plasticy or the keyboard to have too much flex. I think Timothy Lam’s review is spot on so I won’t duplicate. The machine runs Vista 32 respectably right out of the box, but I immediately upgraded to Windows 7 32-bit without a hitch or DVD drive using a shareware program called Virtual Clone Drive. Projected battery life increased by about 20 minutes to 4:07, but I have not had it long enough to cite what you can realistically expect. If that is unacceptable there is supposed to be an optional 8 cell battery, or you should consider the X320 with Atom Z530 and 8 hour battery life for $600 (same size and great screen).

I think the screen size is ideal for an ultra-portable, and despite the screen being glossy, I noticed very little glare, especially compared to the HP 1000. Although the touchpad lacks 2 discreet buttons, I found it to be excellent, as are the speakers for a notebook. The light weight and ergonomics were perfect for chilling on the couch, and working or surfing. It really is a delight to use, and kind of intoxicating.

In summary, depending on your needs, there is virtually nothing to dislike about this computer and I think MSI has scored a big hit in this 13.4″ ultra-portable category.

To check price or purchase MSI X340-021US Slim 13.4-Inch Laptop – Black.

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