Obviously, the more you're willing to spend, the better labtop you can get. I believe the main difference between a notebook and a laptop is that a notebook is REALLY thin, seriously like the size of an actual notebook.

I have a Dell Inspiron E1505. I bought it because I had a few requirements, but I wanted something not $2000. This one met all the requirements, and it was only about $800. I know a ton of people with this one and we all love it. But, some people hate Dell. If you have the money, I would suggest a MacBook or an IBM Thinkpad. My dad wanted me to have a Thinkpad, but there was a huge difference in price. Plus, I have a Dell desktop at home that I love, so I decided not to switch brands.