LENOVO THINKPAD SL400

Lenovo's Small-Biz Resurrection

The predictable demise of Lenovo's small-business notebook line-the 3000 series-happened with litle or no notice. The gap between the enterprise Thinkpads and the 3000 series was simply too wide for any small-business user to bridge. Yet that ending allowed a new line of Lenovo small-business laptops to emerge. The ThinkPad SL400 looks as if it's from the same gene pool as its enterprise brothers, and it inherits many of the classic ThinkPad design features, such as the signature keyboard and TrackPoint pointing stick. No slouch, the SL400 blazes the performance trails with a variety of processing options.

Although the SL400 retains many of the ThinkPad qualities, several things differentiate it, among them a glossy black top. And to keep production costs down, Lenovo constructed the SL400 of part plastic, part magnesium alloy, so it's not as sturdy as, for example, the ThinkPad X200. This laptop's 14-inch screen is bright and easy on the eyes, while the 1,440-by-900 resolution is perfect for this screen size. The rest of the feature set is built for hard-core business professionals. The SL400's cellular modem has a GPS module and is compatible with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint service. Top it off with Bluetooth connectivity and you're esentially getting the same wireless options that the ThinkPad X200 has.

The SL400's 2.24-GHz P8400 processor delivered SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall scores that surpassed those of our TOshiba Satelitte Pro U400 comparison system by 15 percent. Even more impressive is the system's energy efficiency, especially considering its discrete graphics card, the nVidia GeForce 9300M GS. The SL400 achieved 4 hours 38 minutes of battery life on MobileMark 2007. And this system also meets the standards for Energy Star 4.0, EPEAT Silver, and RoHS certification, as well as our own: It earns our GreenTech Approved badge.

The ThinkPad SL400 demonstrates that an inexpensive small-business laptop doesn't have to sacrifice performance and features. You're basically paying consumer prices for all the best things that are associated with the ThinkPad moniker. - Cisco Cheng

Specs: 2.24-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400; 2 GB DDR2 SDRA; 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive; 256MB nVidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics; 14.1-inch, 1,440-by-900 display; Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100; 6.0 pounds (6.8 pounds travel); four USB ports; 84-Wh, Z8-Ah, lithium ion battery; Windows Vista Business.

PC Magazine November 2008.