14 DAY TRIAL // It would appear that Micro-Star International (MSI) is not the only one coming up with netbooks that are larger than the average low-cost personal computer. Taking a shot at the larger form factor is Pioneer Computers, which has just started selling two new models in the DreamBook Series, namely the DreamBook Lite U11a ION2 and the DreamBook Lite U12 ION2. Based on Pine Trail, but with the graphics of the next-generation ION, the laptops merge advanced multimedia capabilities from NVIDIA with the energy efficiency of the Pine Trail platform from Intel.
While MSI went all the way and changed even the chipset and CPU of its Wind12 models, using AMD Athlon chips (with one being a dual-core processor), Pioneer Computers decided to stay closer to the blueprint and offer a choice between the Atom N450 (1.66GHz) and the 1.83GHz N470. These chips are backed by either 1GB or 2GB of memory and a hard disk with a storage capacity of as much as 1TB.
As for graphics, end-users may choose to settle for the Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 3150 (with up to 256MB of memory), or go with the recommended option of the ION2. The actual GPU is the NVIDIA ION2 GT218M VGA, with up to 512MB of memory and support for DirectX 10 graphics.
To complement these performance options, Pioneer is offering an equally customizable range of I/O and connectivity options. Consumers may configure their devices with Bluetooth, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, 3G connectivity and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. As for the screen itself, the DreamBook Lite U11a ION2 boasts an 11.6” LED-backlight HD 1366x768 (16:9) Cristal Bright Screen, whereas the DreamBook Lite U12 ION2 has a similar display measuring 12.1 inches.
The two netbooks are already selling through the company's official online store. The DreamBook Lite U11a ION2 has a starting price of $465, whereas the DreamBook Lite U12 ION2 has a tag of $503.
