Lenovo G550 Series 2958XFU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I received the new G550 a few days ago, so this is a very early review. Out of the box, the unit was very easy to start up and configure. Even the "bloat-ware" was nicely done. Instead of having dozens of icons and applications, there was a single application that walked you through various options and allowed you to select what you wanted. After this, we only had to uninstall three programs to clean up the system.
I really like the keyboard. I had first looked at the Acer, but when I tried one at Costco I found that the keyboard would flex and warp when you apply pressure. The Lenovo is very solid and has a great key feel. The quality is the same as for my much more expensive Lenovo T60p at work. It has lights for CapsLock and NumLock. I understand that some low-end laptops do not have this anymore. The number pad has narrow keys and will take a while to get used to.
The case itself is not the same quality as the Lenovo I use at work. Even though it has a nice texture, the lid looks like cheap plastic. I am OK with this because of the low price. This laptop cost 1/3 of what my wife spent for her MacBook Pro.
The webcam works fine. My son had a great time setting up the face recognition feature for logging in.
I was happy to find that the unit has three USB ports. When researching the G550, I found some document that claimed it only had two.
I ran the built-in Windows performance test. The processor and memory tests reported between 4.3 and 5.3, but the graphics tests reported 3.3. This is reasonable for integrated graphics, but don't expect great gaming performance.
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Update Dec 2010
Now that we have had this laptop for a month, I have two comments:
First, while the laptop has a webcam, the picture quality is poor compared to our old USB webcam and our Macbook-Pro laptops. The image is never very sharp and was always dark until we added a desk lap. My son still likes the face detection feature for logging in. It claims it will remember faces from failed login attemps so you can find who has been trying to use your computer.
Second, we also had problems with the cursor jumping around while typing. The problem is that your wrist will touch the touchpad and register a mouse click. This happens even if you are using an external mouse. Luckily there is an easy fix. Pressing Fn-F8 can disable the touchpad when you do not want to use it. Other than this issue, we have had no problems with the keyboard.
Overall, I am still quite pleased with this machine.

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AFFORDABILITY REDEFINED.Fun is an affordable notebook that won\'t let you down—the Lenovo G550 notebook with OneKey™ Rescue System. An affordable notebook that doesn\'t compromise on the basics, the Lenovo® G550 notebook delivers outstanding performance for everyday tasks.It features OneKey™ Rescue System for easy data backup and recovery, so you can spend more time on the things you love most - like listening to music on the stereo speakers and viewing videos on the 15.6" widescreen display. Plus, with VeriFace facial recognition software, your face is your password.Best of all, it\'s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad.
Lenovo G550 Notebook Key Features
KEY SPECIFICATIONS

Intel Celeron 900 processor
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
15.6 inch high-definition LED backlight display, 16:9 widescreen
160GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive
2GB DDR3 memory
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M
Integrated web camera
High quality stereo speakers
DVD reader/writer
Numeric keypad for easier data logging and gaming

RELIABLE PORTABILITY

Designed as a versatile but affordable notebook, built with durability in mind from the makers of ThinkPad®
6-cell battery. Battery life up to 3.8 hrs
Integrated Ethernet, 802.11b/g

REST EASY

OneKey Rescue Systemfor quick and easy data recovery and antivirus protection
VeriFace facial recognition technology - a fun way to log in to your PC
Microsoft Office Trial version









OneKey Rescue System
VeriFace Face Recognition

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