[mosch]

My advice, first and foremost buy the "business-class" machine for whatever manufacturer you're looking at. The lower end machines aren't as well supported, and have fewer production controls, which can lead to an aggravating experience. Secondly, look for a nice big screen. All the displays on major manufacturer laptops are adaquate in terms of brightness, so you really just need to look at physical size and resolution. Lastly, if you want nice long battery life (and a laptop that doesn't double as an easy-bake oven) look for a centrino model.

IBM ThinkPads are the best laptops on the market at the moment. They're extraordinarily reliable and can be had in nearly any configuration you'd like. They cost a little more than other laptops, but they're worth it.

Dell Latitudes and Precisions are good quality laptops, Inspirons are very hit or miss, as they're built with significantly lower quality parts. I have a grudge against Dell because they screw resellers like myself, but I'll admit that Latitudes and Precisions are good machines, though not as sturdy as ThinkPads.

Compaq EVO series laptops are solid, but I don't think they have any higher-res displays available. I could be wrong on that, though.

Personally, my pet peeve is that there are no semi-reasonably priced laptops with transflective displays (allows the display to be seen clearly in direct sunlight, as well as indoors), but so you know, if you're planning on pokering from your back yard, you'll need a shaded area.