I'd be hesitant to go with either the vpr matrix or emachines, as vpr is a house brand, and emachines is known for being the cheapest possible. The 17" emachines me-too laptop I looked at had far lower resolution than my 15" screen. What's the point of carrying around a big low resolution screen? It seems like you have to order machines to get the real high resolution screens, especially if you don't want all the other bells and wistles. I've never seen a 12.1 screen with resolution other than 1024x768, which is one of the main things stopping me from buying a smaller laptop. (Anyone know of any?)

The general consensus in the laptop world is once you switch to IBM, you won't go back. I've been meaning to switch, but I'm never willing to pay the price permium. They're supposed to be some of the most solidly build laptops around.

Whatever you decide on, see if your budget will afford a "corporate" model instead of consumer. By all accounts they're better built, be it toshiba, compaq, dell, or whoever I'm leaving out.

Matthew