The Wind 12 U230 produces the performance you would expect of an ultraportable, and a chassis and weight you would normally associate with a netbook. It offers a steller performance reminiscent of a top dog, but its battery that lacks staying power turns it into an also runs.

The Wind 12 U230 is powered by a 1.6GHz dual core processor from Athlon Neo X2 with an installed 2 GB memory. Its storage is cattered for by a single and spacious 320 GB hard disk, which is supplimented by other facilities like; memory stick, memory stick PRO, SDHC Card, Muitimedia Card and XD -picture Card. The machine performs with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition operating system, which is bolstered by other softwares like; ArcSoft, Print Creations, Microsoft Works, Magic -i Visual Effects 2 and WinRAR.

The laptop comes ensuite the 10/100/1000 mbps and 540 mbps IEEE802.11n wireless ethernet that is pretty useful. Interface connections come in the form of HDMI and ethernet -RJ45, added to three Universal Serial Bus Ports( USB ), VGA PORT, Bluetooth and a 4 in 1 card reader. All of them round up the Wind 12 U230’s connection fort that is top -notch. Also in the mix is an embedded microphone.

The machine returns a score of 56 on the WorldBench 6 test, which is far above that of many netbooks that average a mid -30s score. Even the much decorated Toshiba Mini NB205-N310 only masters a modest score of 36. But when you take the discussion a notch higher to the ultraportable class where the scores average north of sixty, its 56 mark looks mundane.

The 12.1 inch 1366 by 768 pixel resolution glossy display produces mixed results. It offers great viewing angles and does not suffer from glaring when in flourescent light. Its reproduction is nice, abeit with an incline of muted colors at times. You should not consider out door viewing. The machine produces nice sound that sadly suffers in high decibels. You will appreciate the roomy keyboard, a direct reward of the machine’s large size. The keys are nicely spaced, a result of which is a typing experience free of mistakes. The keyboard comes complete with a generic volume control and function -key combination that allows for accessory toggling. But you should forget about specified media keys.

The trackpad, even though it is smooth and quite responsive, disappoints with its tiny and stiff buttons. Matters are compounded further by its lack of a scrollbar functionality which makes navigation difficult. The unit also comes with Kido’z, which is a browser that offers useful parental controls and checks, coupled with access to websites that are kid -friendly.
In the end, the machine which costs $430-as at april 16,2010-,is both user -friendly and wallet -friendly, only let down by its poor battery life of 3 hours 48 minutes.