Actually, when I had problems with my first Toshiba (increasingly erratic shutdowns), I brought it to an authorized computer repair warehouse (they are contracted to repair for many companies), they said that Toshiba's are the most reliable. Sony's are severely overpriced, and and many of the others just suck.
I'm quite happy with my current Toshiba Satellite which I purchased for 1650 a few years back. I highly suggest getting an extended warranty on any brand of laptop since laptops are still prone to just breaking. I've had CityAdvantage repair my screen, hard drive, and cpu fan (in 3 years of ownership). I wish they just didn't break in the first place, but I guess that's just how it is.
At this point, I'd probably only buy either a Toshiba (tablet pc, way cool!), or a macbook pro. Getting a nice laptop with an extended warranty would probably pay off in the long run. I've seen friends go through HPs and Dells (all -around horrible nowadays).
I was wondering too, about getting a laptop in optometry school. I really want to get a tablet pc for when I eventually go to opt school but I don't know how often I will really need to take handwritten notes directly onto pdfs or powerpoint slides (one of the main selling points for getting it). If there really is no use for a laptop in class, serious money can be saved in getting a higher performing desktop computer.
