If you’ve been holding off buying a netbook until the dust has settled, the good news is that you can reach for your credit card now. The last of the eagerly anticipated Intel Atom-powered netbook models is now available – the MSI Wind.

Lots of people (us included) have been looking forward to the Wind the most, since it seems to offer the best combination of features for a near-laptop like experience – a large screen, large keyboard and 80Gb hard drive, all in package little bigger than the diminutive Asus Eee PC 901 or Acer Aspire One. So, was it worth the wait? Find out what we think of the MSI Wind after the cut.

As mentioned in the earlier hands-on video, first impressions of the MSI Wind are really strong. Like Acer, MSI has gone to great lengths to ensure that the Wind looks nothing like a cheap laptop and it feels no less well made (nor any less good looking) than a laptop that costs three times as much.

The all-plastic case is solid and there are no creaks or pops even when it’s flexed with both hands. There’s something about a smoothly shaped lid that we like – it worked well on the Aspire One and it’s just as good-looking here. Thankfully, MSI has dumped the horrific circular badge it uses on its other laptops and the Wind has a simply, painted logo in the centre of its lid.

As you can see from the photos, we reviewed the white MSI Wind, but models will be available in black and pink, too.

Both the edges of the lid and the front of the case are curved to fool the eye into thinking the laptop is thinner than it really is (again, same as the Aspire One), but at just 34m, the Wind is only a little thicker than the Acer Aspire One (29mm) and a bit thinner than the Asus Eee PC 901 (40mm). The Wind is the widest of three though, 260mm – that’s 11mm wider than the Aspire One and 35mm wider than the Eee PC.

It has to be said that when a netbook reaches this sort of size, it’s on the brink of becoming just another laptop, but we think the Wind just about pulls it off. And besides, that extra bit of case has allowed MSI to fit a 10in screen – something that can’t be found on any other netbook available at the moment.