reccomendations needed

[Dark54555]

yeah, so I've got the bad feeling the HD in my Portege 3500 is about to die...again. Honestly, I'm just sick of the POS. So looking for replacements, priced < $1500.

Primary uses of laptop:
-Notes in class
-E-mail
-WWW
-Word, Powerpoint
-Wireless is a must
-Portability is big, not looking for a desktop replacement
-Needs to be able to run Outlook, IE, and AIM without stalling (unlike my tablet)

My chief competitors:
Apple 12" iBook + airport
HP dv1000 series
Dell Latitude D600 or D400
IBM R or very low end T

Which of these will do the job best, or do y'all have a better idea?

 

[HermDogg]

I've been eyeing this convertible for myself recently, but I think I'm going to go a little higher end. However, for the price, you just can't beat it. Here

 

[Dark54555]

the portege sucked so hard it's turned me off to tablets for at least the next 2-3 generations.