Centrino-based Tablet PCs on the horizon

Despite the initial rush of Centrino-based notebooks into the market, Intel's Centrino platform isn't just about notebooks.

Built around Intel's Pentium M processor, announced earlier this month, and an Intel wireless LAN chip set, Centrino is also finding its way into Tablet PCs. But Tablet PCs based on the Centrino platform are hitting the market at a slower pace than notebooks.

When Intel launched the Centrino platform on March 12, vendors rolled out a slew of new notebooks based on the platform, but Tablet PCs were largely left out of the picture.

However, there is good news for users who are looking for a Tablet PC that includes Centrino with the Pentium M, which Intel says offers longer battery life and higher performance albeit at lower clock speeds than the company's other mobile processors. Centrino-based Tablet PCs are making their way onto the market, with the first devices to be based on the 900MHz ultra-low-voltage model of the Pentium M, according to vendors.

"Centrino matches really well with what many tablet users are looking for," said Jim O'Brien, senior analyst at IDC, pointing to the Pentium M's lower power consumption and the wireless LAN access afforded by the platform.

While those capabilities are attractive to many users, the challenge from the vendors' point of view is that Centrino adds to the price of Tablet PCs, which is already substantially higher than many notebook computers.

"Centrino is actually a pretty big price premium," O'Brien said.

That hasn't stopped a few companies from putting Centrino into their Tablet PCs.

One of the first PC vendors to put out a Centrino-based Tablet PC is Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., in Osaka, Japan, better known as Panasonic. The company has added a Centrino-based Tablet PC, the Toughbook CF-18, to its Toughbook line of rugged computers.

Priced starting from $3,200, the CF18 is available with a 900MHz Pentium M processor, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, a 40GB hard disk drive, and a 10.4-inch TFT LCD with 1,024-pixel-by-768-pixel (XGA) resolution. The CF-18's screen can swivel 180 degrees, allowing the Tablet PC to be converted from a notebook into a tablet.

Acer, in Taipei, plans to introduce its TravelMate C110 Tablet PC in April. Similar in appearance to the company's C100, the first Tablet PC to be unveiled with a screen that could swivel 180 degrees to change from a notebook into a tablet, the C110 is based on the Centrino platform and includes a 900MHz Pentium M processor.

Weighing in at 3.1 pounds without its DVD/CD-RW combo drive, the C110 includes a 10.4-inch TFT LCD screen, 256MB of DDR memory, and a 40GB hard drive. The C110 will be priced at around $2,700, significantly higher than the roughly $2,200 price tag of the C100.