I don't think you're going to find everything you want near $1000, especially if you want on a 3 year warranty. $1500 is probably more realistic. It's possible that a service plan from a retailer like Best Buy would be cheaper then a warranty from the manufacturor. But I personally wouldn't want to have to count on Best Buy (or Circuit City, or CompUSA) for service.

The most important question to answer is how are you going to use the machine? Will it almost always be on a desk and plugged in? Then battery life and heat dissipation isn't so important. But if you are going to be using it unplugged and actually sitting on your lap like I do, then those factors are critical. Centrino (Pentium M) machines are far and away the best choice for truly mobile use in mainstream laptops.

We use a lot of Dells here at the office and we have problems with the build quality of their cases. Little pieces will break off or the hinges won't hold up.

I'm very happy with the Compaq X1000 I bought recently. It's reasonably thin and light given the size of this screen. The case feels solid (no flexing plastic like a Dell). It gets 4 hours on the battery. Great screen. Good keyboard. The only design flaw is that the AC adapter connects on the right side instead of the back.

I'd recommend that you get a laptop that is advertised as having a wide viewing angle on the LCD. These LCDs are better not just because of the viewing angle. They also are brighter and have more contrast. It's a significant difference and worth seeking out, IMO.

As a general statement, I don't think anyone beats IBM for build quality, reliability and service. But those come at a price.