With my current laptop slowly dying and getting fed-up of lugging a 3Kg weight around wherever I go, I thought it was time to find a replacement that was both lighter and easier to carry about.
Having followed the latest news on various forums and websites about the new “Netbooks”, I started researching the various makes with a view to buying one. I was surprised to find how many manufacturers were suddenly bringing out models of what used to be called Ultra Mobile PC’s with Dell, MSI, Acer, Asus and HP amongst the frontrunners. But after much Googling and reading of specification sheets I eventually whittled my wish list down to the MSI Wind. This was when I found that getting hold of the MSI Wind was not that easy with various dates being quoted for UK delivery and many different opinions on price and specs, and then I found the Advent 4211.
The Advent 4211 appeared on the PC World website with stock available and a price of £279 so off I went again to discover the actual specs and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Advent is a rebadged MSI Wind, made exclusively for PC World Group by MSI with exactly the same specs etc. as the Wind.
When I bought the Advent from PC World I was a little worried when I got the box, as it was so small but on opening it and getting out the Advent I found a small but perfectly formed “Netbook”. The build quality is excellent with no flexing of the screen and a decent sized keyboard with positive feeling keys. The Trackpad is a little small for my liking but you soon adjust to it. All in all, a very good first impression.
Start up time is good with the initial start up of well under a minute to take me into the XP Set up screen. After the usual questions such as User Name & Password I was onto the XP desktop in less than a minute. After switching on the Wireless by a key on the Keyboard and then searching for networks I was on the net in a couple of minutes.
In use the clear and crisp screen is quite impressive with good brightness and excellent colour rendition. The Advent is quiet and even after more than an hour’s use it is still running quietly. When you first start up it prompts you to back up the system to an SD card or USB drive, this took me about 6 – 7 minutes and is essential as it ships without a Windows XP disc.
If you’re in the market for a small, light replacement laptop for Internet, Email and portable use then I can recommend the Advent 4211. It’s here, now, and I think it’s really good value for £279.
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July 11th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
[...] via netbookmag Link to this article<a href="http://umpcwag.com/2008/07/11/advent-4211-unboxing/" [...]
August 20th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Probably the best £279 I ever spent! My last laptop was a Sony TZ, cost an arm and a leg. OK, so the 4211 isn’t a fully featured PC, but it will do 99.9% of what I want, it’s light and even my sausage shaped fingers can cope with the mini keyboard. One gripe - battery life! Good value, a good tool. Plus all my workmates want one now they have seen the advantages of carrying a couple of pounds of rather sprightly PC rather than a great big 15-17″ behemoth. I’ve had it a week and can’t see any downs but the battery.
Dave Crosby
November 29th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
[...] on 15th July 2008. TechRadar gave the Advent 4 stars out of 5, published on 15th July 2008. NetBookMag thought the Advent 4211 was excellent value and published a review on 10th July 2008. What Laptop [...]
February 18th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Hi,
Does the netbook work without its battery? I need to replace an old mac mini and a small, silent, netbook-desktop-replacement would do the trick.
thanks