Wow. Thanks for all the advice.

I guess it'll be impossible to rank the different laptops that were mentioned. My main concern is speed...I've heard some of the (especially cheaper) mini laptops can be pretty slow online etc...is there a noticeable difference from regular sized laptops?

As for buying abroad, assuming I can find a US keyboard, is the different OS a problem? And don't big brand manufacturers have worldwide warranties? Or is buying a refurbished machine in the US always a safer bet?