Lenovo ThinkPad SL500 updated 2009 Review and latest eCoupon

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The ThinkPad SL500 breaks away from the Lenovo ThinkPad brand’s usual Corporate market and aims squarely for the SMB, or Small to Medium Business user. A laptop designed for work and entertainment after work, the ThinkPad SL500 is an ‘economy’ variation of the ThinkPad brand, without sacrificing to many of the much loved ThinkPad features. In fact, the only real ThinkPad feature that goes is the Rollcage.

<– Redeem the latest ThinkPad SL500 eCoupon

The entry level SL500 with the Intel Celeron Dual-Core Processor T1600 (1.66GHz 667MHz 1MBL2) and integrated graphics is currently around $449 with the current ThinkPad SL500 Coupon Code, which even with the base specs, makes for a spectacular bargain!

Go up the range a little to the Enhanced ThinkPad SL500 with the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T6570 (2.1GHz 800MHz 2MBL2) and you have a notebook with a strong processor, plenty of memory and power suitable for anything from entertainment to office use.

The SL500 is powered by an Intel Core™ 2 Duo processor – with options up 2.53GHz 1066MHz with 6MBL2, which means that this mid-sized unit compares extremely well to many low-priced desktop machines. Hard Drive options start at 160GB up to a 320GB drive. Again in the basic configuration the ThinkPad SL500 runs on Windows Vista  Home Basic but you really do need to upgrade that to Windows Vista Business, which makes more sense for a small business user.

The mid-size platform of the SL500 means that interacting with the machine is a breeze.

The 15.4-inch display has a native resolution of 1680×1050 and in the Elite model is powered by an nVidia GeForce 9 graphics card with 256MB of video memory, so if you want to enjoy a movie or video game, there’s plenty of computing power. The keyboard on the SL500 is full-size, allowing for easy typing and navigating. Cursor control is achieved through the use of the centrally located TrackPoint or by the TouchPad. For extra security, there’s a fingerprint reader built-in.

Keyboard feel is superb, being firm and tactile.

Connectivity is simple with the ThinkPad SL500. Enjoy staying in touch on the go with WLAN or standard ABGN Wi-Fi technology; both are built-in to the system as options. There’s also available hard-wired connection via the Gigabit Ethernet LAN card for times when Wi-Fi is unavailable.

Want the latest technology? There’s a Bluetooth receiver built-in too. If that isn’t enough, there’s also a 1.3 megapixel integrated webcam for face-to-face, whether it’s a board meeting or an intimate chat.

The standard 6 cell Lithium-ion battery has an estimated battery life of four-hours after a full charge for aggressive users, light users can expect that period to extend to about six hours. For extensive media consumption or gaming, hard-wired power is recommended.

Whether you’re looking to watch the latest blockbuster or just want to enjoy some family photos, the ThinkPad SL500 has you covered. There is a seven-in-one card reader that will allow for uploading of still images, documents and other files from just about any portable media drive. There’s also a FireWire input for uploading video from your camcorder and an integrated DVD+R drive for watching and burning your favorite movies, music and other media.

The the ‘thinking’ behind the ThinkPad SL500 at launch was really to aim this notebook at the SMB sector with a range of Small business services that would take the worry out of running your own ‘IT’ department!

With special Lenovo service offerings for small business, including ThinkPlus warranty extensions and upgrades or ThinkPlus Secure Business, a new security and protection bundle with spare parts coverage and online data backup, the ThinkPad SL500 is more of a complete SMB IT solution then just a notebook.

Is the ThinkPad SL500 a good buy?

Given an EPEAT Silver rating from the Green Energy Council, the ThinkPad SL400 and SL500 had to pass a set of 23 required performance criteria and 50% of the optional criteria in 8 categories so your conscience is clear on the environmental front.

With high definition audio, an integrated solution with multi-channel audio out and performance to rival an add-in audio card and HDMI port which lets you transmit high-definition video and multi-channel audio through a single cable the SL500 has great multimedia capabilities.

A solidly built machine with all the hallmark features that make ThinkPad’s famous, the ThinkPad SL500 is a great all-around notebook equipped to handle just about any general workaday job you can throw at it. It is especially suited for self employed entrepreneurs looking for a dual business and work and multimedia machine, consumers or businessmen or women looking for a communication machine, or for students looking for a great college computer at a very reasonable price.

With the current Lenovo deals and ThinkPad SL500 Coupon Codes the ThinkPad SL500 is probably the 15.4” notebook bargain of the year and gets our Buy recomendation.