Toshiba (or other?) Laptop for Student

[BillFoto3]

My brother is buying a new laptop for grad school and I have been out of the loop in regards to laptops for a couple years. I was wondering which one of the following toshibas was better and if it is a good value or if we should be looking elsewhere:

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/...sortEle=fprice

He just needs something in the 13-14" range with enough space for music/pictures/videos, not concerned about gaming, but doesn't want to get something super cheap or outdated ($700 budget). TYIA.

 

[mfenn]

You might get better advice in the Notebooks forum.

 

[Fayd]

My brother is buying a new laptop for grad school and I have been out of the loop in regards to laptops for a couple years. I was wondering which one of the following toshibas was better and if it is a good value or if we should be looking elsewhere:

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/...sortEle=fprice

He just needs something in the 13-14" range with enough space for music/pictures/videos, not concerned about gaming, but doesn't want to get something super cheap or outdated ($700 budget). TYIA.

at that budget he'd be good going with one of the asus UL's. like the UL30XA or VT.

the screen's big enough, the processor is fairly beefy (compared to atom, at least), would handle HD playback just fine, and most importantly, an absurdly long battery life.

 

[mmntech]

I'd check out some of Apple's refurb Macbooks. They've got one of last year's models out with a 7hr battery for $749.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC...co=MTU5MjkwMjk

I find the polycarbonate Macbooks tend to be more durable than a lot of PC laptops as well. It will run Windows 7 too if need be.

If PC is a must, I'd check out Asus or Lenovo. Both top notch brands. Battery life, weight, and durability should be top priorities since it's going to get carried around a lot.