Thinkpad SL. Opinion

[linko]

It's at Lenovo.com today. I really don't know that I like the moved buttons that much, and moved LED's... and It seems like the plastic around the screen has gotten larger, and turned glossy on it's lid.. I don't know, what are your opinions?

[pxa270]

The Lenovo ordering pages are a complete mess. Take a look at this page, which lists the different SL400 models. Now unless I missed something subtle, the first 4 configurations appear to be identical on that page, except the first two have 250Gb HDD and the second 2 have 160Gb. Yet, there are four options with four different prices ($799, $869, $969 and $1049).

Now I assume that if you click on each of them, you'll get a different spec (probably a different CPU), but the button is a javascript thing so you can't open them in separate tabs to compare. Actually, I just tried it, and even when I reached the shopping cart I still have no idea what CPU is in the machine that I'm ready to buy, and what the differences between those four configs are. And the same thing is true for the SL500 pages.

Seriously, don't they have people actually testing their websites before they put them up for the whole wide world to see? It makes them look like a bunch of amateurs. I don't want to come off as some sort of Mac fanboy, but you got to give it to Apple, they've got the retail experience done right. Lenovo, if it's not ready, just don't put it on the website yet!

[qviri]

you got to give it to Apple, they've got the retail experience done right.

But not the activation experience yet

The SL series is essentially the 3000 line painted all black to fit Thinkpads. Same keyboard (except for, thankfully, a trackpoint) and they even kept the horrible front indicator LEDs. I like the X20-esque bevel they put in the sides, but that's about it. The LCD bezel is symmetric, but that's more of a problem with new T series than a good thing about the SL.

[nordyk]

The site indeed is a mess and it terrible that you cannot really decide on the CPU. Even the tech charts lack some important information.

So anyway, I am probably missing something but what chipset is mounted in those new SL's. Is it the updated Montevina platform already?

On the other hand the local Polish Lenovo site is even worse so you are not in the worst position after all. Nothing new... we always were at least two months behind.