MSI intros ultra thin 13.4" Menlow-based netbook

CES 2009: MSI has announced what looks to be one of the thinnest Menlow based netbooks we've seen to date and, from the looks of things, it takes a leaf or two out of the MacBook Air's book.

The X-Slim Series X320 packs a 13.4-inch LED backlit 16:9 display (with a native 1,366 x 768 resolution) into a device that measures just 19.8mm at its thickest and 6mm at its thinnest.

Weighing in at 1.3kg with the default four cell battery, its similarities to the MacBook Air are stark, but MSI doesn't compromise on connectivity in the same way that Apple did with its opinion-splitting ultraportable.

The X320 packs support for 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3.5G HSDPA modem, three USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, an all-in-one card reader and a VGA output. In addition to the four cell battery, there will be the option for an eight-cell battery, which is claimed to last for up to ten hours - we'll have to wait and see how it stacks up when we get our hands on one, though.

Inside, there's a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, up to 2GB of memory, a mechanical hard drive (capacities haven't been detailed yet) and everything else that comes as standard with the Menlow platform. In some ways, this could be seen as a compromise, but it's a different one to those made on other ultraportables.

There is no word on pricing yet, but we've heard suggestions that the X320 will be available in Champagne, Pearl White and Black. We'll bring you more on this as we get it.

Like the idea of a bigger netbook? Discuss in the forums.