14 DAY TRIAL // Tablet PCs are definitely getting attention on the part of the media, and many PC makers are looking forward to actually joining the competition in this area. Some have already made their first steps, while others are still waiting on certain factors. Pioneer Computers appears to be on the verge of finally bringing out its own offering, known as the DreamBook ePad A10. This slate is based on the x86 architecture and has already been set up for pre-order.
The DreamBook ePad A10 has a LED-backlit liquid crystal display touchscreen with a panel size of 10.1 inches and a native resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels. This screen is under the control of the Intel GMA (Graphics media Accelerator) 3150 integrated graphics. The configuration itself is centered around an Intel Atom N450 central processing unit, which is part of Intel's pine Trail platform. This CPU has a clock speed of 1.66 GHz and is backed up by either 1 GB or 2 GB of RAM.
For storage, Pioneer threw in a hard disk drive (HDD) of up to 500 GB. Furthermore, in case end-users are more interested in speed rather than capacity, they may go for a solid state drive (SSD) of up to 256 GB instead of the HDD. As for connectivity and I/O options, the tablet PC boasts 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a range of optional assets. Such as 3G, Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. All of these bits and parts are crammed inside a frame measuring 263 by 168 by 18 mm and weighing 980 grams.
All in all, the DreamBook ePad A10 Plus should be able to take on whatever competition it will be faced with starting sometime later this month. It has already been listed on this page and carries a price tag of $546.