I have an IBM X40. I just picked it up a couple months ago for $1200 including an external USB powered DVD/CD-RW.

It's the best laptop I've ever owned. I couldn't be happier with it. The form factor is unbelievably small and light, the wi-fi reception is great, and unlike the Dell ultraportables, it actually feels very rugged.

It's not the fastest machine out there (1.1GHz) but I regularly do photoshop work and software development on it and it is more than adequate for those two tasks.

As long as you don't mind having the IBM "nipple" instead of the trackpad, you should find this to fit your needs.

I store mine in a regular backpack, and I have a zippered 8.5x11" leather binder (used for legal sized notepads!) that I use for padding.