Ok, so I know I'm late to this discussion, but....
1) HP--please stop talking about all the bad things and how quickly they die. I just spent a small FORTUNE on a DV6 with a quad core processor. It better last a damn long time! I've had it about three months now, and have to say, I absolutely love it. I have not had a single issue with it so far. It's fast, pretty, does everything I want it to, and has a ton of cool features (well, most of the features are from Windows 7, but still.) I love this computer! I also get about 4 hours on a single battery charge, which is awesome. I upgraded it to a 12 cell battery. (The battery, by the way, also tilts the computer up slightly, making it easier to type on as well as allowing air flow around the bottom, IMO)
2) My old computer was an IBM/Lenovo thinkpad, and I second whoever said that they are great computers. Had mine 6 years, and it was still working when I "retired" it. Had power cord issues, and a few other little things (ran out of hard drive space, slow processor, and couldnt quite process videos the way I needed) but it was definitely still in working condition.
3) If anyone is looking for a "netbook" type thing, I have an Asus EEE pc, that is the cutest little thing ever. Mine runs Linux, but you can get them with Windows too. It's really fast, very lightweight, and gets great battery life. And comes in pretty colors like mint green and sea blue and pearly pink! I think mine was $199? Comes in all different sizes too, from a 2gb up to 8gb with other optional features. I only got the 2gb model since it's just a backup, for when I don't want to carry the big one around, but it has slots for additional expansion/SD cards if I ever decided to go that route.
4) Also, for those of you who aren't aware, ASUS/HP are almost identical. HPs tend to be "prettier," but all the parts are supplied by the ASUS company. That's what I was told when I narrowed down my laptop search to this one, and a similar ASUS.
5) Tablets. I'm really not a fan-- I type very quickly, and when trying out the tablets, I feel like I get distracted way too easily by the things I can do on it. I haven't tried OneNote on a tablet though, I can see how they might work really well together. I think 2 of the schools I'm waitlisted on require tablets, so I guess I better get used to them lol.
6) OneNote-- I just starting playing around in it the other day, trying to see what the big deal is (I've got no power at home, so nothing better to do!). I think I like it so far. Haven't really gotten the hang of it yet, but I see lots of nifty features that could come in handy. I do plan on typing all my notes in vet school (handwriting=bad/slow and I fall behind really quickly).
Anyway, that's it for now. Pray that my power comes back soon, please. I'm at panera now 🙂