This is the later-2011 model, with just a few design tweaks and spec changes.

Specs:
i7-2670qm
Radeon HD 6770m
750 GB HDD
8 GB ram
1080p screen, 15 inch
bluray

Design: finally, a great laptop design that doesn't ooze Apple!
Keyboard: a real joy to type on, island-style
Touchpad: the best I've used on a non-Apple laptop. The latter 2011 edition has separate mouse buttons,
an improvement over the single button touchpad of early 2011
Display: 1080p matte. Need I say more?
Performance: 8-threaded i7. Graphics capable of running BF3. Awesome.
Heat/Noise: not really a problem. Fan is fairly loud when it runs.
Battery life: it's a desktop replacement, maybe 4 hours on extended battery
Software: Windows 7 at its best.