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Recommendations for New Netbook/Ultrabook - Priorities Listed

I'm looking to get another netbook-style laptop. The main purpose is to take meeting notes and quickly check the interwebs. Thus, I want to use it like a paper notebook with a little added functionality (e.g., edit documents, check email).

I've had an eeePc 1000HE for a little over 3 years and it's served me well for this purpose, but the battery is starting to decline a little to the point where it won't make it through an entire workday if necessary.

Here are my priorities:

1. Battery life over 7 hours (want to work all day without worrying about if I have to charge it)
2. Fairly light (screen 13" or below)
3. Reliability/build quality/good keyboard (the 1000HE chiclet style keyboard works fine for me as a minimum)
4. Speed - Would be nice if it's a little snappier than my 'ole Atom N270, but doesn't have to be speed demon, just nice responsive Windows and a fast boot time is even more preferable
5. Price - I really liked paying only $380 for this 3 years ago ... I am willing to pay more if it is a little faster and still has really good battery life, not willing to pay over 900 and the cheaper the better

So, I have 2 questions:
1. Are there any specific models/lines of models you would recommend - it sounds like my requests could fit into 2 domains, netbooks (which I read are not really flourishing now?), and low-end ultrabooks, but let me know if I am mistaken here
2. When is the best time to buy, given current chipset developments (e.g., where it traditionally has been better to buy not immediately after it is released but a little afterwards when prices come down)

Links to lists/reviews/search sites that you prefer are welcome too - I've used a few (e.g., CNET) but none are perfect and I always appreciate new resources and value the expertise of the community. Thank you for all of your help!
 
Buy an ultraportable like an X230/X220 or Toshiba Portege R935

The X230 can be had via the Lenovo Barnes & Noble page for ~$660 base configuration. With an IPS screen, 9-cell battery, and an i5 Ivy, you'd be looking at around ~$800. The Toshiba can be found online for $600-$700. The x230 would get you over ~11 hours of battery life while the Toshiba will get you the 7-8 hours you need with a 6-cell.

Either of those will get you the same weight as an Ultrabook but with better battery life and a speedier processor. They're also cheaper and don't have soldered and proprietary parts (RAM, SSDs, mSATA, etc).
 
Wow, that is an outstanding deal for the Lenovo (and both are great options), thanks for your help! All suggestions are welcome.
 
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