When it comes to most netbooks on the market, you are forced to choose between the energy efficiency offered by a solid state drive and the increased capacity offered by a conventional hard drive. The newly announced MSI Wind U115 Hybrid netbook effectively offers the best of both worlds by boasting both a hard drive and a flash-based solid state disk.

When the “ECO on” mode is activated on the MSI U115 Hybrid netbook, the hard drive can be temporarily shut off and the little laptop can run solely on the solid state disk. When this mode is deactivated, it returns to business as usual to retrieve your documents from the little spinning platter of a hard drive. This results in better power efficiency and an extended battery life.

Along with the 10-inch (1024×600) widescreen display, you get an Intel Z530 Atom processor (1.6GHz), Windows XP Home, Bluetooth, 1GB of RAM, three USB ports, and Wi-Fi (with an option for 802.11n support). You can choose between a 1.3 megapixel or 2.0 megapixel webcam, and between a three-cell or six-cell battery. For storage, one configuration includes a 120GB HDD and 8GB SSD. The upgrade brings a 160GB HDD and 16GB SSD.

With the three-cell battery, the MSI U115 Hybrid netbook weighs in at around 2.2 pounds. Pricing and availability were not announced at this time, but I’m thinking that it’ll come at a premium over the MSI Wind U100 or U120.