Hi! I'm starting graduate studies in forensic & paleoanthropology this fall and I need a durable notebook, since I'll be taking it to the field and the field consists of burial sites, dirty labs, and dusty museums, hehe. Performance is not really that important - I'll be using it exclusively for data entry and light data analysis, word processing, and giving PowerPoint presentations. Long battery life would be great - but again not that important since I can always buy an extra battery or two. The catch - $1500 is the absolute upper limit on cost. Thanks!