I think you have the right idea, lemarr. I'm an old hand with portable computers of all types. (I was using "portables" when they had built-in CRTs and thermal printers and weighed 40 pounds.) There are a lot of excellent notebook computers out there, but the one that will work best for you can best be determined by getting your hands on the hardware before buying it. This is especially true if you are not thoroughly familiar with notebook computer ergonomics. Many people are jumping to buy expensive notebook systems these days, only to find that the form factor they have purchased simply doesn't work for them. I'm a highly adaptable user, and I still occasionally run across a notebook form factor that makes me wonder what the designer was smoking.
This may seem simplistic, but the most important thing for you to do now is to define, as precisely as possible, exactly WHAT TYPES OF WORK you will (or might) be doing with this machine and WHERE YOU WILL BE USING IT. Those two factors will tell you exactly what type of form factor to get. A 10 pound notebook with a 15" UXGA screen is still, IMHO, a viable option for someone who travels a lot. I don't mind lugging the thing with its 30 pounds of paraphenalia all over the planet, but some people would. And a notebook with a 15" screen is not an easy companion to work with when seated in coach class on one of today's sky buses. Key placement and feel, pointing device characteristics, and screen type (passive or active) are at least as important in determining the usability of one of these things as are the memory, hard drive capacities and OS / software. If you have to use a computer in bright light conditions, a passive matrix screen will be absolutely unacceptable. If you will be primarily Web browsing and typing, an SXGA or UXGA screen is a cost you can and should avoid -- not that you're likely to find such a screen in the price range you're suggesting. In darker conditions when dealing only with text, a non-TFT XGA or SVGA screen might work perfectly well. (I only mention it because, if you're like me, once you get ready to buy you'll talk yourself into spending more than you planned.) If you intend to use spreadsheets or deal with complex graphics, you'll need at least an SXGA TFT screen.
BTW, you notice I call these things notebooks. The manufacturers stopped calling them laptops for two good reasons. Many of them are too large for the laps of a significant portion of the population. But the main reason is that they run too hot to hold on your lap. A lap board is a necessity for extended laptop use -- unless you happen to enjoy heat-induced peripheral neuropathy in the anterior portions of your thighs.
Gets your hands on some of these babies and test them out. You're spending at least twice what it would cost to buy a damned fast desktop system. I can guarantee that the notebook you buy won't match the speed. It should at least be comfortable, even pleasurable, to use. My favorites are (some) Toshibas and IBMs and HPs. I think they've done a better job of dealing with comfort and usability issues than OEMs like Gateway and Dell. I currently use a Dell Inspiron 7500 as my personal system. It has a lot of nice features, including relatively high performance for a notebook and an excellent SXGA+ screen (1400 x 1050) that can be read outdoors on the brightest day. But its keyboard is mediocre in layout and feel. And the quality control on the thing's exterior pieces is shockingly bad. This has been universally true of Inspirons of my recent acqaintance, though Latitudes seem a bit better. None of the Dells or Gateways will match the build quality you'll typically see on higher end Toshibas, and almost all HPs and IBMs. If it irks you to have a $5,000 computer that looks like it was made out of cardboard, don't buy a top end Dell or Gateway. The Sonys look marvelous, but I have no idea how well they work.
One last point. Get the system with the OS you want to use pre-installed. I know this sounds stupid, but if you want to use Windows 2000, then buy the system with W2K installed. (Then, when you get it, wipe the disk and install the OS properly -- because you can bet your butt the OEM didn't.) The reason I say this is that driver support is especially critical on portable computers because you cant go directly to a device manufacturer for the drivers in many cases. This is especially true of the video subsystem, since these are often customized by the OEM for use in a particular notebook. You want the OEM to have done its homework on using that computer's devices with the OS you'll be using. Remember, you can't upgrade the video subsystem (or many other components) of a notebook. You at least want to have good driver support for the devices that come with the system.
If there's anything specific you wish to discuss, I'll be glad to try to offer an intelligent opinion on it. (I may have to borrow a few IQ points from someone else, but I'll try.)
Regards,
Jim
Edit: typos
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