MSI launches laptops and tablet PC at Computex

MSI's all-in-one touch-screen PCs are powered by ATI Radeon HD graphics cards

MSI has announced a range of notebooks and all-in-one PCs at Computex aimed at business and home users.

The Taiwanese manufacturer appears to be aiming the U-Series and X-Slim devices at businesses and the F-Series at multimedia users, while the all-in-one PCs are for home use and the G-Series for gaming.

One of the latest business models is the P600, which has an LED-backlit LCD, DVD super-multi drive, Core i5 CPU, a fingerprint reader and ECO Engine technology to save power.

The FX400, FX600, FR600, and FX700 "performance notebooks" are equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor. The FX610 comes with AMD's new Danube Champlain platform, which is built on a more efficient 45nm process, enabling battery life to be extended.

The G-Series for gamers ranges from 14in to 17in and comes with Intel i5 or i7 processors. The GX740 features an ATI Radeon HD5850 3D graphics card, space for up to 3GB of DDR3 memory, USB 3.0 ports, two HD speakers and a Blu-ray player.

MSI also unveiled its 20in, 22in and 24in all-in-one touch-screen PCs powered by ATI Radeon HD graphics cards. The firm claims that the AE2420 3D is the " first all-in-one touch-screen PC with 3D capabilities". This is made possible using MSI's 3D Infinity Shutter Glasses.

Earlier in the week, MSI showcased an upgraded concept of its WindPad. The 800g tablet, which was first seen at CES in January, will have a 10in screen, eight hours of battery life, multi-touch and Windows 7 preloaded.

The tablet is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor with 2GB of RAM, and features 32GB of solid state memory, two USB ports, HDMI output, Wi-Fi and 3G.

Ovum analyst Tim Renowden argued that choosing the Windows 7 platform was a natural choice for MSI, as it is heavily involved in the production of PCs. With regards to the inclusion of 3G, USB and HDMI ports, he expects firms to "push the specs to gain competitive advantages".

"It is easy to build a tablet, but not easy to build a good one. The success of a tablet will depend on factors including build quality, brand name and ability to get to the right marketing channels," he said.

Ian Fogg, a principal analyst at Forrester, said that, although many firms had tablet designs, they have not been able to bring them to market in time to rival the iPad. He added that the market is going to evolve rapidly over the next year.

"The old familiar markets that companies are used to are no longer key. There has been a collision of markets and it's hard to say who is top and what the market is. Apple has proven there is an enormous opportunity for tablets," he said.

MSI will no doubt look to capitalise on the welcome reception of the iPad. The firm is also looking to innovate and turn heads with another portable product, known as the SketchPad, a laptop that transforms into a graphics tablet.

V3.co.uk is waiting to hear back from MSI regarding prices and launch dates.