The predictable demise of Lenovo's small-business notebook line—the 3000 series—happened with little or no notice. The gap between the enterprise ThinkPads and the 3000 series was simply too wide for any small-business user to bridge. Yet that ending allowed a new line of Lenovo small-business laptops to emerge. The ThinkPad SL400 ($1,129 direct) looks as if it's from the same gene pool as its enterprise brothers, and it inherits many of the classic ThinkPad design features, such as the signature keyboard and TrackPoint pointing stick. No slouch, the SL400 blazes the performance trails with a variety of processing options.

Although the SL400 succeeds in retaining many of the ThinkPad qualities, Lenovo does several things to differentiate it, such as a glossy black top. 'The styling not meant to be cutting-edge—in fact, it's similar to what Dell did with the Vostro 1310, which was to find the line between conservative and chic and hang on to it for dear life. To keep production costs down, the SL400 is part plastic, part magnesium alloy, so it's not as sturdy as, say, the Lenovo ThinkPad X200 and ThinkPad T61 Widescreen.

The SL400's 14-inch screen is bright and easy on the eyes, while its 1,440-by-900 resolution is perfect for this screen size. The bezel and the sides angle sharply toward the base, like a trapezoid. Presumably, this was done for aesthetic reasons and to protect the connectivity ports, but it also makes the ports hard to see when you're plugging something in. A 13-inch widescreen option (dubbed the SL300), with a screen similar to that of the Dell 1310 and the Toshiba Satellite Pro U400-S1001X, is also available. You can argue that a 14-inch screen increases productivity, but a heftier frame (such as the SL400's 6-pound one) is usually a consequence. Both the Dell and the Toshiba laptops weigh less than 5 pounds.

The SL400 incorporates the ThinkPad keyboard, TrackPoint pointing stick, touchpad, and another set of mouse buttons to provide dual pointing devices. With keyboard and navigation components that are the best in the industry, typing and navigating on a ThinkPad is an experience like no other. There are also physical volume buttons to the left of the keyboard. Though it doesn't say "ThinkVantage," a nameless blue button launches Lenovo Care—a suite of proprietary applications that you can use to manage power settings, wireless connections, and maintenance. (Lenovo Care is a subset of the ThinkVantage suite that's been carried over from the 3000 line.) Some might consider this suite bloatware, so Lenovo offers the option of leaving this sort of management software and third-party applications off when configuring an "SL" ThinkPad. Both the Dell 1310 and the Toshiba U400 also offer this type of flexibility.

The feature set is built for hard-core business professionals, not just small-business users. Its cellular modem is a component that the 3000 series did not incorporate. The SL400 gives you the option of signing on with AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, as well as adding a GPS module with your cellular modem. Because this is also one of the first Centrino 2 (code-named "Montevina") laptops—Intel's newest laptop platform—Intel's 5100 Wi-Fi module is built into the SL400. Top it off with Bluetooth connectivity and you're basically getting the same wireless connections that the ThinkPad X200 has.

Other features include four USB ports, an SD card slot, a fingerprint reader, a FireWire port, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and an HDMI-out port. The speakers above the keyboard are more pronounced and sound better than those of the Dell 1310 and the Toshiba U400. Unlike with the X200, an internal dual-layer DVD burner comes standard with the SL400.

As more and more laptops trickle out with the new Centrino 2 platform, you'll find that the processor of choice will be an Intel Core 2 Duo whose model number is preceded by a "P." The 2.24-GHz P8400 processor delivered SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall scores that surpassed those of the Dell 1310 and Toshiba U400 by 30 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Granted, the latter systems have yet to be reviewed with the new Intel platform, but you have to like the significant performance gains.

Even more impressive is the energy efficiency that this processor brings to the table. The SL400 not only produced blazing speeds, it also achieved 4 hours 38 minutes of battery life on MobileMark 2007. Though this battery score doesn't sound as impressive as the X200's 6-hour one, keep in mind that the SL400 is running a discrete graphics card—the nVidia GeForce 9300M GS, which eats up more battery resources than the X200's integrated set. Over 4 hours of battery life on a laptop that runs a good graphics card is very impressive. The nVidia card is there not so much for 3D gaming, but for enhancing 3D environments like Windows Vista Business and supporting high-definition video playback.

A fast processor and discrete graphics do not mean that SL400 can't qualify for environmental certification. According to my readings using a P3 International P3 International Kill A Watt meter, it consumed 18 watts, just meeting Energy Star 4.0''s 19-watt requirement for laptops with discrete graphics. In order to earn PC Magazine's GreenTech Approved seal, a laptop also needs the proper certifications. Because the SL400 is certified for Energy Star 4.0, EPEAT Silver, and RoHS, it easily meets our other criteria.

The demise of the 3000 Series means only greater things for Lenovo's small-business line. The ThinkPad SL400 demonstrates that an inexpensive small-business laptop doesn't have to sacrifice performance and features. You're basically paying consumer prices for all the best things that are associated with the ThinkPad moniker.

Check out the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400's test scores.