One thing that isn't mentioned yet: Have you considered getting a tablet?

As for brands, I have a Fujitsu and it has worked very well for the past two years. My roommate has an Acer and he's been having problems with it since day one. On of my suitemates has a Dell, and he's gotten very good support on it, but I've also heard from others that Dell customer support isn't good. I guess it all depends. My other suitemate is a computing assistant and he owns a HP tablet, which has been working great for him.

All in all I'd suggest a Japanese brand since they build good quality stuff.