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there are a lot of laptops out there

for style, we have apple, and sony vaio

you should be thinking about the power for which we have ibm notebooks and thinkpads, or dell....

i have a dell inspiron.. these are the laptops with the least style but work very well for me...

Laptops arranged according to style: apple, sony vaio, ibm, hp, dell

power: ibm, hp, vaio, apple, dell..

cost(decreasing): apple, sony, ibm, hp and dell..

weight(increasing): apple, sony, ibm, dell, hp

I think a decent "entertainment" style notebook is perfect for a college student with average computer saaviness. These tend to come bundled with software for entertainment features such as videos, music, etc. It could also do double duty and act as the DVD, CD, MP3, etc player for the dorm or apartment. Go to HP's website and look under entertainment notebooks for home & office. They range from about $900-$1300 depending on features. Entertainment style units tend to be larger with a 17" screen, heavier and reduced battery performance.

Basic computing with the entertainment features (though a computer saavy person could obtain their own) probably goes for $600-$900. Smaller, lighter, generally a bit better battery. Such as v6000 series from HP/Compaq.

Finally, if you look at HP's business units - you'll again give up some of the entertainment bundles and costs are $800-$1500 but you get a nice notebook with an excellent 3-yr warranty instead of just 1 yr.

Overall, I suggest look for an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor at least of 1.8Ghz, 80G minimum hard drive, 1G minimum RA and DVD writer, built in wireless 802.11g, etc.

Most all newer model notebooks come with a fairly standard set of features. Avoid close-outs or discontinued models unless you know the specs you want and can check them off.

Dollar for dollar, Acer has the best deals, in my opinion. Look around for the best price.

Most people buy more computer than they need, and this increases the cost. Make a list of all the things you absolutely need and then a 'wish' list of things you would like then you try to find the best of the best within your budget .

My next laptop will be an Intel Mac because as I see it, because I can Windows and OS X on the same machine I'll be getting almost two computers for the price of one.

I currently use a Acer 9410 and have been very very happy with it.

You should get a Toshiba laptop. I have a Toshiba Satellite M65-S9092, and I love it. I would highly recommend it.