Lenovo sneaks out IdeaPad U550 laptop, in brown only

Lenovo has a habit of slipping out products without much fanfare (or even a decent picture), and it looks like it’s done it again with its new IdeaPad U550 laptop, which gets out just in time for the Windows 7 rush. As you might expect, there isn’t a ton to get excited about here, but the laptop is relatively lightweight for one with a 15.6-inch screen (just 5.29 pounds), and it settles nicely in the mid-range of Lenovo’s offering in terms of specs. That includes your choice of Pentium Dual-Core or Core 2 Duo processors, ATI Radeon HD4330 or Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, 4GB of RAM standard, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, and even some nifty touches like an ambient light sensor and a standard fingerprint reader. No firm word on a ship date just yet (only “more than four weeks”), but you can get you order in right now for between $699 and $799 — just hope you like brown, as it’s apparently the only color option available at the moment.

[Thanks, alsyl]