SL500 review - they changed the keyboard layout!

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#1 Post by **gator** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:59 pm

Reviews of the SL series are up:
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops ... sl400.aspx

From the article:

Though no one would confuse this notebook with a sleek ultraportable such as Lenovo’s X300, the SL400 offers several major tweaks to the tried-and-true ThinkPad look. The coarse, rubberized plastic of the traditional Lenovo lid has been replaced with a shiny piano-black surface that sports our favorite design change: a sexy ThinkPad logo where the dot in the letter “I” is a laser-red light that reminds us of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s eye in The Terminator. However, this glossy exterior is prone to attracting fingerprints.

A red LED on the outside of the thinkpad ... remind me, why is this a thinkpad? No thinkvantage suite, glossy lid (and for $799 we are not getting the 'mirage black' premium piano finish, trust me), a design that strangely does not follow function (recessed USB ports due to tapered edges... think T4x, and think where it had the USB ports), average screen ...

Is Lenovo trying to compete with the Dell Vostro? Sorry if am being harsh, but I am very disappointed ...

#2 Post by **JaneL** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:10 pm

And did you look at the keyboard layout?

kunfuchopsticks · #3 Post by **kunfuchopsticks** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:18 pm

exactly, as I said in the other thread:

Bad move by Lenovo to badge it with Thinkpad logo. Very bad move, one that makes me regret it's acquisition of IBM...certainly IBM wouldn't have given in to current bs notebook trends.

Should have been the Ideapad Sl400/500 and it can be Piano black/fingerprint deisign all it wants, no one cares.

#4 Post by **gator** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:18 pm

nonny wrote:And did you look at the keyboard layout?

Holy Jeebus, you are right ... it is similar to the 3000 series!

Changed keyboard layout and a red LED on the lid - is this a warning sign for times to come?

qviri · #5 Post by **qviri** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:26 pm

gator wrote:it is similar to the 3000 series!

It is the 3000 series. Care to guess where the front indicator LEDs came from?

Deckard · #6 Post by **Deckard** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:20 am

So, it took Lenovo `only` 3 years to ruin a brand, which was once considered as creme de la creme of business laptops. Congratulations.

I don`t even want to call them Thinkpads anymore, really.

#7 Post by **gator** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:40 pm

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4499

arlab · #8 Post by **arlab** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:00 am

Calm down... It's not bad to have a "different" Thinkpad on the line. The new T/W/R will probably not change much...

arlab · #9 Post by **arlab** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:01 am

Would like a flush 9 cell battery, though.

But, anyway, this isn't a laptop for me...

pianowizard · #10 Post by **pianowizard** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:01 am

arlab wrote:Calm down... It's not bad to have a "different" Thinkpad on the line.

It's not just "different". In the current Thinkpad keyboards, the layout of the Insert/Delete/Home/End/PgUp/PgDn keys makes it very easy to find them without looking at them. Further, there's a wider gap between F4 and F5, and between F8 and F9, which is also very helpful.

Of course, if you always look at the keyboard while typing, then this change in layout will have little impact.

kunfuchopsticks · #11 Post by **kunfuchopsticks** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:00 am

arlab wrote:Calm down... It's not bad to have a "different" Thinkpad on the line. The new T/W/R will probably not change much...

it's not a 'different' thinkpad; It's not suppose to be a thinkpad at all.

Troels · #12 Post by **Troels** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:18 pm

It's the range where i think, if you removed the thinkpad branding, and Lenovo labels along with the model number, the bottom part would look like a cheap design project from Toshiba that - as usual - doesn't last. However, since the color isn't silver, it will keep it's looks.
What i don't understand is what they are trying to accomplish with the sledged lefts and rights where ports are situated. Is it a poor man's way of producing a thin-looking notebook?
The USB key issue is pretty critical.

However, a great applause on the symmetrical LCD and what looks to be a more decent LCD. Both reviews mentioned good color. Maybe there IS something about it this time.
While i think the keyboard layout looks more clean than the seven-row keyboards, it has a little Toshiba syndrome - the layout was right on with the seven row variant, this 6 row is a compromise that didn't look that necessary.
Also the LED lights are situated better for some people - where you can't see them all the time ang get distracted - so this could be the ticket for them.

Generally about the design: Why experiment so much? IMO the 14.1" Z61t would have been a good example to begin with: http://www.arghyle.com/hosted/lenovo_z61t/z61t_06.jpg

laowai · #13 Post by **laowai** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:01 pm

Deckard wrote:So, it took Lenovo `only` 3 years to ruin a brand, which was once considered as creme de la creme of business laptops. Congratulations.

I don`t even want to call them Thinkpads anymore, really.

quoted for truth.

The keyboard layout remaining unchanged is one of the biggies for me, it's one of the last remaining holdouts that I have. The addition of the windows keys [censored] me off way more than it should have, but I went with it because the rest of the layout remained unchanged with the exception of the next and back keys, which *are* actually useful. If they want to screw around with the keyboard layout, remove that stupid ThinkVantage button, in fact, remove all Lenovo software while you're at it. No one serious ever uses it and it's crap.

Not quite understanding what the motivation is for ruining a great brand is. It's all about penny-pinching and turning it into just another bland [censored] consumer-brand.

I believe that Lenovo has their own idea of what a Thinkpad "should be", and are trying to ease into it bit by bit to retain loyalists while attracting typical consumers, hedging their bets on the fact that most of the industry sucks even more. If anyone has a few extra million dollars laying around, time is becoming ripe for a new brand on the market to capture the niche (us) which is being ignored and willing to pay a premium for something that doesn't suck.

FRiC · #14 Post by **FRiC** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:34 pm

I'm curious if the keyboard feels more like the old 3000 series or more like the ThinkPad series? I really like the 3000 series keyboards, but I prefer the ThinkPad layout.

The Spirit of X21 · #15 Post by **The Spirit of X21** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 3:34 pm

Friends,

Is it different? Definitely. Is it the end of the ThinkPad as we know it? Not by a long shot.

The SL series is moving the ThinkPad in a new direction, but it isn't replacing the X, R, and T series machines we have come to know and love (if anything, those older lines have only improved since Lenovo took over operations).

If it doesn't sell, the SL will go the way of the Z machines. If it does sell well, it just means that there are consumers who like features that we traditionalists don't. Either way, the open market will be the true judge of the series' worth. I'm interested in seeing what happens...

ulrich.von.lich · #16 Post by **ulrich.von.lich** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:42 am

I hope the SL line is targeted at consumers, just like the Z or W series, while the traditional T/X/R series stay the same. I don't believe they would get rid of ThinkVantage suite on those models. (Maybe the keyboard was simplified due to the lack of ThinkVantage suite.)

It's been a while since I didn't log on to the forum and suddenly I see quite a few new ThinkPad lines. I kinda miss the old TXR-only days.

I purchased a T43 three years ago because I like its simple design. I'm not going to buy a laptop with a red flashing LED on the lid to attract attention in starbucks (unless of course if they are willing to give away the old TP logo stickers to cover it up).

Anyway let's wait and see how the T400/T500 would look like before start blaming lenovo.

crazyeddie1 · #17 Post by **crazyeddie1** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:26 am

Been a long time mac user even I do not like the terminator eye

I was looking firward to buying it but due to low screen resolution and 200nits brightness level I changed my mind. The price tag also appears expensive IMO.

jnorman39 · #18 Post by **jnorman39** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:20 am

Matt Kohut addresses a lot of the misconceptions that are being thrown out in this thread in his article at lenovoblogs. Give it a read before you pass judgment on the SL series...

http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=150

I personally am considering an SL series over the T-series because of its improved screen, improved sound system, HDMI support, and Blu-ray. I have an X61s for my workhorse and would like the multimedia goodness that comes with the SL-series for my home lappy. I baby my lappys so the lack of a roll cage in the SL-series is minimal to me, and, at the end of the day the SL is still built from the ground up by THINKPAD engineers ...so the I'm not worried about a lack of quality. The SL is NOT a Lenovo 3000!

The SL is not meant to replace or cannibalize any of the current Thinkpad brands. The SL-series was created to showcase the best of the consumer and business worlds in order to satisfy all of the small business owners (like me) who need it. I look forward to reading more reviews on this puppy.

-Jack

#19 Post by **JaneL** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:31 am

jnorman39 wrote:Matt Kohut addresses a lot of the misconceptions that are being thrown out in this thread in his article at lenovoblogs.

However, he didn't address the reasons behind changing the keyboard layout which is not only my primary objection to the SL series but also the subject of most of the complaints in the Design Matters comments, the comments here and the comments at NBR.

crazyeddie1 · #20 Post by **crazyeddie1** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:39 am

Personally I think majority will incline towards sl if they make 13 inch light weigt model like that newly launched 13" dell inspiron. The resolution and brightness level (at least 300nits) could have been better for 14" and 15" (at least wsxga+) models

justme · #21 Post by **justme** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:18 pm

“In my opinion!” I prefer the Lenovo “ThnkPad” (still partially owned by IBM) red dot to the symbol “take a bite of the apple” of New York City . The resolution appears to be the same as the Mac Pro specifications. I question the side angle and the port recess’, but, they are reminiscent of the Italian radio “Brionvega” of the sixties. My TV has the same black piano finish and shows no fingerprints. As far as the “nit” seems most other manufacturers don’t include it in their specifications and is hard to compare. Apple, with research, vaguely rates their MacPro as somewhere between 240 and 300 “nits”. I, myself, plan to purchase a SL500 as soon as more choices are available. “In my opinion!”

Troels · #22 Post by **Troels** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:39 am

Troels wrote:However, a great applause on the symmetrical LCD and what looks to be a more decent LCD. Both reviews mentioned good color. Maybe there IS something about it this time.

I'd like to take that back. The first review indicates that the matte 1440x900 is ok. However a new test - with measurements - of the WXGA glossy SL400:

http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Lenov ... 100.0.html

157:1 CR at best case, and what looks like it is brighter lit at the bottom.

blackomegax · #23 Post by **blackomegax** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:19 pm

I'm confused by their decision....

How does this even begin to compete with the R series?

It's as if they thought it would be a good idea to bring back the equivilant of a G series.

SL500 review - they changed the keyboard layout!

SL500 review - they changed the keyboard layout!

ThinkPad SL500

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