Lenovo confirms ThinkPad SL details
updated 12:30 pm EDT, Tue June 24, 2008
Lenovo Recs ThinkPad SL
Lenovo late yesterday confirmed the existence of the ThinkPad SL and provided first details about the new notebook line. Effectively an equivalent to Dell's Vostro line, the portables will be aimed at individuals and small companies that want more professional notebooks than the IdeaPads but still want some of the home-friendly features: the systems are set to have HDMI output and a more stylized look than the all-black, utilitarian look of most ThinkPads today.
In exchange for these features and a lower price, a few of the more work-friendly features will disappear, Lenovo says. Instead of a completely proprietary but more advanced docking station, the SL line will use a USB-based dock to extend input options when one of the ThinkPads is back at home or the office.
While acknowledging the SL's existence, Lenovo's chief for the series, Charles Sune, declines to provide more specifics about the unreleased portables other than to point to a relatively narrow price range between $699 and $1,199. Earlier leaks point to 13.3-inch, 14-inch, and 15.4-inch models with choices of a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce 9300M GS for dedicated graphics.
An announcement is planned within the next few weeks and is likely dependent on the formal availability of Intel's Centrino platform, which officially appears in early August.
