Inside Dope:

Inside Dope:

Lenovo is launching appealing notebooks with solid features and professional respect in its ThinkPad series. Now, the company has launched Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 with Windows 7 as operating system. The price range of the SL510 starts at $529 and goes to $1024, offering different configurations. $529 priced notebook has Intel Celeron T3000 1.8GHz. The $1024 priced model has Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz processor, 3GB RAM, 15.6-inch screen and solid chassis. You will also find a finger-print reader and 3G support. The display supports antiglare technology. It also has 320GB hard drive and 3GB of RAM.

The keyboard is large and spacious enough to provide good typing experience, but there is no numeric keypad. There are dedicated controls for mute and volume adjustment. You will also find the blue-colored hot key for Lenovo ThinkVantage suite. The touch-pad has matte finish and perfect traction. It is made up of similar material as on T400s. There is a track-point rubber nubbin between B, H and G keys. We like that the touch-buttons are placed below and above the touch-pad. You can select any control position as per your convenience.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 has 15.6-inch 16×9 display screen, which delivers good video quality from DVD or other HD source. The excellent display is an impressive addition in a business class laptop. Moreover, the display is matte-finished instead of having glossy touch. The stereo speakers are located beneath the display. The speakers give average quality and passable volume.

There are three USB ports, one combined port for both eSATA and USB, VGA socket and HDMI port on both the sides and rear panel. Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 is not a media-friendly computer, but it still have good hardware configuration with Windows 7.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 has Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53 GHz, which is one of the best processors in the market at the moment. The same processor was available in the IdeaPad Y650. The SL510 does not have discrete graphics card. However, it can easily handle games like Unreal Tournament 3, streaming media and movies. It also has all the Windows 7 graphic options and features.

We tested the Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 with Sony Vaio AW170Y/Q and Dell Studio XPS 16. The ThinkPad SL510 exhibited better multi-tasking capability as compared to other two models. It also worked better while using Apple iTunes.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 has six-cell lithium-ion battery that runs for 3 hours 37 minutes for continuous video playback. This battery life is better than that of laptops in the same size and price range.

Lenovo is providing one-year labor-and-parts warranty with technical support and 24/7 phone support with toll-free number. You can also upgrade to three-year plan for additional $119. However, you have to pay $219 extra for three-year on-site service. The drivers and software utilities are available at Lenovo website with FAQs and technical articles.