I joined my friend in PC World *yesterday*, where he bought one and took it home...

Funny that, I bought mine yesterday and it's with DHL right now.

Certainly a cursory google search turns up lots of people that have bought one in-store. Perhaps they ran out of stock, and the next expected delivery is the 7th, rather than it not being launched at all.

Pah! It's all about the Acer Aspire One for me. And under two hundred notes if Gordo will let you have your VAT back.

I wouldn't be unwilling to use this for some of the computer graphics stuff I do. Apart from screen size, it's about the same as the machine I was using 5 years ago.

Though 1GB of RAM would be a bit tight with my current software.

Reasonable spec, but waaaaay too pricey.

According to the PC World Website in its extended specification ithe Advent 4211 has a Windows Vista XP operating system on it. ...

Asus would have to do well to pip PCWorld at the post as PCWorld have been selling them at a few shops for a couple of days now. There is one on show in my local PCWorld, and the next nearest shop had them since wednesday morning

Advent........Advent..........hmmmm, right............Advent?!

rebadged MSI...

is it really that bad?

I don't want to buy something to find it has some strange Linux-unfriendly hardware in it.

So how many amp-hours is "3 battery cells"? And how long does it last on a charge? That's the other important question.

Got one at PC world yesterday. Firstly its got windows XP on, but with 80GB hard drive should be easy enough to dual boot linux. Someone has already installed MAC OSX on it.

Secondly no it isn't a graphics power house but thats not what I want. I want something small enough to put in a satchel, read the web, get emails and read ebooks on. Also sometimes I may want it to do some work. I've already installed wireshark on it and it runs fine.

Thirdly £279 is not a bad price. It is cheaper than the EEE 901 but the same spec, only £50 more than the aspire(whenever that comes out) but the cheapest aspire version has only a 8GB flash drive, no bluetooth and a poorer WiFi. Best of all it is £50 cheaper than the MSi wind which it is, rebadged. So in that respect it is a bargain.

Dislikes? Well only a 2200 MAh battery so you won't be away long from the power socket for very long, but hopefully that could be upgraded later. Its not much of an issue for me.

I have had this PC for two days. I and two other colleagues bought them from PCWorld Lakeside. I have ditched my ASUS 701 and am now using the Advent which has a much better keyboard and screen display with only a small increase in overall dimensions and weight. Bottom line is that with it running XP (which is very snappy on it) with 80GB storage it is a compelling buy.

The only thing "Advent" on it is the sticker with the word "Advent" on it. It is just a straight MSi Wind with the badge changed.

Oh, and PC World definitely beat Asus to it, they have been selling them in-store for a few days now.

What is the problem with this exactly ? It's actually cheaper than an MSI Wind (at least the price Expansys) cheaper than an ASUS EeePC 901

Certainly looks tempting, the Acer also looks good but no bluetooth and an awful touchpad kinda ruins it.

Not a fan of Advent stuff or PC World in general but if it's a rebadged Wind then who cares ?

Just for future reference before you write an article about availability try checking stock on PC World's web site ;)

I don't understand all the negative comments. Reg Hardware gave it (MSI Wind) a glowing review. I picked one up from Edinburgh today (only store in Scotland with them in stock) and my wife and son are both delighted!! Thumbs up from me.

...at the number of Rogister readers posting here stating they have purchased this from PC World! WTF!

I picked one up on thursday, I can say its sweet little machine sofar. Very bright and clear screen and the 80gig HD is a bonus. plays 720p video across network(wired) fine even when underclocked to 800Mhz. ~60 quid cheaper than msi wind + exact same specs = no brainer for me.

Advent branded computers hold a special place for me. They are the only brand of computer where my experiences (or those of the owners) has been universally awful. As I write, I see my partner's ex-laptop and the various USB and Firewire ports that all failed one by one. I see the enormous air vent, that would spew hot air at a rate and temperature that could weld battleship armour. I recall the realisation that this laptop is a frankenstein disaster of desktop and laptop parts, badly thrown together.

Mostly, I recall the experience of trying to track down drivers for the beast. Any sense of after sales support is wholly absent for this, and every other Advent machine I've come across.

For these reasons, I never fail to mention Advent machines when people ask me about what machine to buy.

A steal. And that's for the 80G XP version.

Pity about the tiddly 2200 mAh battery but still good value.

Looks much nicer than the eee900 I saw a few weeks ago

The question is can I buy the XP version and simply upgrade it to Linux?

I understand that the MSI Linux is SuSE Linux - but probably a tweaked version for drivers etc. I suppose it should be possible to get hold of a copy of MSI SuSE OS installation disc.

Anyway nice to see the race to the bottom has started

Asus, Acer,and now Advent (all the As?)

There will be some price movement. I expect the similar spec eee901 will now have to be about the same price or they wont sell any.

............and then MSFT will come under pressure again

Predictions: 9inch Netbooks (any make) for around £250 and eee701 either dropped or selling for around £175 by the run up to next Christmas.

boooooooo boooooooo

... running Linux? If only PC World had the brains* to sell a version without an operating system...

* They don't.

I can't help it....... previous experience.......... I'm scarred for life :(

Heya!

In case anyone gets one of these, use these wifi drivers (as found on msiwind.net forums here; http://forums.msiwind.net/general-discussion/who-has-wifi-problems-with-their-wind-t764.html) they are a newer release than the ones on windows update, and should clear up the incredibly irritating dropped connection problems

http://www.mediafire.com/?0mt1y2cdxzj

With the exception of this Laptop, the majority of Advent machines are rebadged ECS machines. After sales support on Advents for drivers and the like is universally awful from PC World, the techies don't generally know where it is they came from.

I was struck by Dave's comment about comparisons with PCs of 5yrs ago.

I've done loads of windows rescue rebuilds in my time.

People are always amazed how much faster they run just after a fresh rebuild, even an old machine.

But guess what, after a few months, its back down to a snail's pace.

Why? A combination of crapware & dodgy games (being installed for and/or by kids) and ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE.

Another prediction: Piles of unused XP Netbooks in cupboards/ebay etc because they have become unusable and the owners have gone back to a 'proper' laptop.

Machines like these NEED Linux - precisely BECAUSE there is less of this stuff and (arguably) no need for antivirus sw - to keep running like they did out of the box

http://www.quidco.com/pc-world/

:)

"PC World's own-brand Advent 4211 sub-notebook is essentially MSI's Wind rebadged."

So who beat who there then?

I couldn't agree more! I wouldn't buy an Advent while there's a hole in my arse. Their support for their own hardware is lamentable so I suppose it's a good thing it's not actually made by them. Although MSI are no IBM either :-/

Roger Heathcote

It would be cheaper if it wasn't for the Microsoft tax included in the price.

How much is OEM XP? must add about £30 onto the price.

What's the use of a computer without Linux? I mean they could just as well make a back-lighted image of the Windows XP desktop.

People do not buy those device despite of Linux, but because of Linux.

As far as i could see it was infact the MSI Wind First to release? I did read the reg review on it maybe 2 weeks ago? 95% i think.

Why is it that we all have to put up with pre-installed windows bollox and we can't have a machine that has nothing on it or better still - A FREAKING CHOICE !

M$ - Holding back innovation !

Does no one learn...

My first ever true PC was an Advent (and had the obligatory lousy driver support even then, back in 1993, Windows 3.1 and all). It was a rebadged IBM. Said so on the bottom of the chassis.

"Why is it that we all have to put up with pre-installed windows bollox and we can't have a machine that has nothing on it or better still - A FREAKING CHOICE !"

Because three fat unwashed nerds isn't much of a market. And no-one else is gonna pay *more* for a PC w/out an OS on it than one that'll run their existing apps *even* if doing so stops the Baby Stallman crying.

"People do not buy those device despite of Linux, but because of Linux."

You reckon? Got any proof for that claim? I mean, it's not like PC World's full of blokes with Cheeto-stained T-shirts and neck-beards...

The whole point of the original EEE PC (I have a 4G 701) is that it is robust and reliable. I have just switched to Desktop from 'East' mode and connected it to a nice 16" LCD and full size Logitech keyboard creating a nice desktop setup. The 901 with 20G of SSD and Linux and a decent battery will be perfect. The only benefit the Advent has over the EEE is the keyboard. But the forthcoming EEE PC 1000 solves that one.

Here's a mad idea. Those who want a small laptop with XP can buy this. Those who want a small laptop which has Linux can buy the EEE PC.

If you want a Linux Advent/Wind, then buy the XP one, format it, and install Linux. The saving the Advent offers over the Wind RRP is more than the XP license anyway. Write it off. Or dual boot.

Because there are now quite a few options here in this market, there should be something to suit everyone.

I finally ordered a laptop last week (the gbook from walmart for $379) I am almost as opposed to walmart as I am the Microsoft Tax but after many years of delaying a laptop / notebook purchase because of refusing to support Microsoft and their dirty tactics I could finally buy a laptop / notebook without financially supporting them. (I know that high-end laptops have been available for quite a while with Linux instead of Windows but this seems to be the first I found that provides the economies of scale / mass market without being subject to the MS Tax...)

I am also keeping my eye on the developments with the EEE 901, the MSI Wind, Everex Cloudbook, and Acer Aspire lines...

I seem to remember a while back that someone bought a Dell laptop with XP pre-installed and refused to accept Microsoft's T&Cs. After a bit of a struggle with Dell he was refunded the price of the Windows license and either installed Linux or used a Windows disk he had already paid for.

I'd be interested to know if you could do this with the Advent and bring it's price down further. Annoying PC World would be an added bonus ....

See: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146026

96 in stock (as I write).

It's the WinXP, 80GB HDD model. Not the 20GB SSD Linux one I'm waiting for.

But, all the same, it's Atom-based.

still uses old HD tech!

imo, this space should be defined by SSD's. they are perfect for this.

size isn't and shouldn't be an issue.

anyway, tracking this space here ;)

http://www.eupeople.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487

@ The freetards...

For an OS that has just 2-3% (and dropping) of the desktop market and for some pretty valid reasons...Gnome/KDE = shite, distro fragmentation (I mean, how many variants of Ubundoo do we really need, and please don't give me some crap about choice, that doesn't even begin to forgive the distro mess) the racket and demands their greetin' faced evangelising bairns make about not having to pay the MS tax always makes me pish ma self with laughter.

So why not take this to the ultimate end. If you're fed up with paying the 'tax' why not demand that you have a freetard BIOS so you're no payin' out a fraction of the cost of the machine to AMI or Phoenix or whoever in licensing....oh and how about the licenses on all the proprietry hardware and microcode on the mobo's. Or how about having a wee moan and greet aboot how awful Intel are for dominating this particular niche with their Atom processor.

FFS...grow up. You're all just the OS equivalent of the chattering classes, me, I'll stick with a machine with XP. You never know when some freeturd breaks the upstream distro and like hey seeds in a broken crypto lib.

MS are such an easy target, but how do you know your shiney new toy isn't being boxed up by slave labour and employed in factories with shitty workers rights? How about having a wee protest about that instead and choosing a manufacturer that gives a shit and has a social conscience?

Yeah...grow up, go have a life, get a girlfriend, have sex, drink beer, have a wash and get outa yer mummies basements and see the sun and the real world once in a while.

Oh finally....I bought an Asus EEE 1000H with XP cos I neither give a shit about MS abusing their monopoly position (they pay my wages, and rather handsomely too) nor do I care about the exploited workers who boxed and shipped my new toy to the UK in some ozone destroying cargo plane or boat. And you know what I love to rub it under the noses of all you politically correct brainwashed opensource plastic bag recycling bozo's. Oh hell yeah!!!

In the words of Daniel Plainview "I'm finished now".

That works out to about US$560, which is below Asus's price for the Atom version of their Eee laptop (they need to work on that name, BTW - it brings to mind images of housewives standing on kitchen chairs when a mouse shows up). The Atom-packing Eee runs a bit more than US$600.