Intel's Centrino 2 Mobile Platform, Previewed Ahead of its Time

Intel's Centrino 2 mobile platform, previously known as Montevina, just got a sneak preview from the Australia-based PC vendor Pioneer. The new platform is an upgrade to Intel's existing Centrino architecture and is due to release this June.

The preview was based on Pioneer's DreamBook Style 9008 Centrino 2 laptop, that comes with a 45-nanometer Penryn processor and mixed Wi-Fi and WiMax capabilities. The company seems to be the first retailer to unleash Intel's Centrino 2 technology, combined with ATI Radeon M82 graphics.

The 9008 is also rigged with the 45-nanometer Penryn Core 2 Duo processor with 1066 MHz FSB support on a Socket-P interconnect, ATI Radeon M82 graphics, and a maximum amount of 4GB of system RAM. Other goodies include storage space of between 120 and 420GB and a 15.4-inch anti-glare TFT display.

The processor is alleged to come in a thermal envelope of 25 watts, and will work in conjunction with Intel's "Cantiga PM45 northbridge and the "ICH9M" south bridge chips. Another interesting aspect of Pioneer's mobile offering is the graphics solution, listed as "ATI Radeon M82 256M GDDR ll VGA Card PCI-E," also known as ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400.

The Centrino 2 platform also comes with improved graphics capabilities, due to the inclusion of Intel's GMA X4500 (Graphics Media Accelerator) chip, part of the GM45 "Cantiga" chipset.

Pioneer will offer the DreamBook Style 9008 in a solid-state drive option, as well as in multiple processor configurations, including the Core 2 Duo P8600 running at 2.4 GHz with 3MB of L2 cache, the Core 2 Duo P9500 running at 2.53GHz with 6MB of L2 cache and the Core 2 Duo T9600 processor running at 2.8Ghz with 6MB of L2 cache.

The Centrino 2 platform will be smaller and more efficient than the previous Centrino mobile architecture, which would translate into increased battery life and improved overall performance. The 2.8 kilograms DreamBook Style 9008 is available for pre-order on Pioneer's website, at a starting price of $1303.