I like my Compaq Presario x1000, custom ordered off hpshopping.com. I chose it for the price and the screen:
- Pentium(R) M 1.5GHz
- 256MB DDR SDRAM(1X256MB)
- 40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
- Microsoft(R)Windows(R) XP Pro
- Microsoft(R) Works/Money
- DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
- 802.11b Wireless LAN
- 15.4" WVA WUXGA (1920x1200)
- 64MB Mobility Radeon(TM) 9200
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion battery
- hpshopping in-box envelope
All that was $1600 (not including rebate). Mail in rebate was $100, but additional 512mb upgrade (768mb total now) was $100, so still $1600 total. The same configuration supposed to be even cheaper now (around $50-100 cheaper), and apparently there's a 10% off discount code somewhere. I get around 4 hours of battery life with the builtin wireless on. The widescreen UXGA is excellent, and the laptop is always cool enough to keep on your lap. The laptop is very silent -- the fan never comes on during casual usage.
Check out
www.x1000forums.com for other users' comments and experiences. You can find the 10% off code there if it hasn't expired yet. At least configure it on
www.hpshopping.com to see how much it comes out to. It's surprisingly affordable. Good luck on your laptop search!
Oh yeah, if you're a student you can get a discount for that too.