Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E430 and E530 now available for $549

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Edge E430 and E530 laptops are now on sale in the US. The pair of notebooks were announced back at CES in January, and offer a choice of either a 14-inch or 15.6-inch screen. Besides the difference in size, the specs are largely the same for both machines: each has an Intel Core i3-2350M processor clocked at 2.3GHz, 4GB RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and Intel HD3000 graphics. Despite their size differences, the displays offer the same resolution of 1366 x 768, and the pair come in either Midnight Black or Brushed Aluminum, with no mention of the Heatwave Red (pictured above) or Cobalt Blue finishes. The models also offer the now-standard 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and a DVD burner.

If you’re looking for a new Lenovo laptop, and aren’t put off by the proprietary battery protection technology that’s included, the base model E430 and E530 are both priced at $549. In a nod to the ThinkPad’s business roots, both models come with the option of Windows 7 Professional for an extra $50 over the regular home premium models, and to help keep your data secure the touchpad has a fingerprint reader.