yea i bought the 700m at the end too. My other laptop felt like a brick compared

700m Owner
 

Count me in as a new 700m owner. I have had the machine for a little over two days now and am loving it. The keyboard is smaller and it is taking a little time to educate my fingers, but I am fine with that.

OnAMileHigh

Have to concur with all the other users of the Dell 700m - great laptop for the money and very easy to use on the plane thanks to the nice widescreen display and small vertical depth.

The only other laptop I have used that compares is the Sony T series, but those are at least twice as expensive.

Yup...the Sonys and IBMs are very expensive in comparison. Frankly, I can't figure out who's paying the high price for those machines when from a functionality standpoint they're no different than the Dell. Don't get me wrong...I wouldn't mind pulling an X4x out rather than a Dell, but not at a $900 premium.

now i got a new sleeve for my laptop too
i bought one of those zeroshock cases from shinza.com
will post when it comes in. seems good

M45-s355
 

I also went the Toshiba route. Every article I read consistently rated Toshiba notebooks at the top or near the top. The M45-355 has a 100GB hard drive, a 1.86 processer, dual layer DVD writer. It has a 15.4 screen and the weight is right at 6 pounds. It is a nice combination of functionality and size.

Are you going to be able to use it in a coach seat on the airplane, though?

15 inch wouldn't work for me. I had a Toshiba that I've passed down to one of the nephews, and it just didn't work in coach with the 15 inch screen. The 12 inch Dell screen is just ideal for me as a travel laptop. I have it along with me today. If I had to pick something else, screen size (on the small side) would be the determining factor, be it Dell or some other vendor.

Tom in Galway, Ireland this afternoon (free wi fi)

Ya'll can't travel very much ;)

If you would have used your laptop a lot on the airplanes you would have noticed that Panasonic is a completly league of it's own, however they are pretty expensive compared to normal "****ty" one's :)

Own a panasonic W2 and Panasonic R4 WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!
Battery is what i prioritize and nothing even comes close to Panasonic, the Panasonic T4 have 12 HOURS! and weights 1.1 kg or something like that.

You can get the new models at dynamism.com or kemplar.com

I'm basically a leisure traveler. I'm awaiting delivery of an HP with a 15.4 screen to be used, I thought on my trips. I figured as a leisure traveler I could put up with the extra weight & bulk, but I did not give any thought to not being able to use it in coach because of its size. You guys are scaring me. :(

There's certainly ways around working with a laptop in coach (praying for upgrades, bulkhead seats, emergency exit rows with a little more room). You just have to be a little more proactive about where you're seating. With the larger laptop, I just got scared to death whenever someone in front of me reclined quickly without looking back (I do try to look over my shoulder when I recline). With the smaller laptop, I position it that I don't need to worry.

My limiting factor when purchasing was cost. I wasn't prepared to spend over $1,000, as I generally pass down laptops and desktops every two years to relatives, and just buy a new one. My main use is entertainment (TIVO to Go and internet), and not business. I spent $767 for the Dell before taxes (free shipping) and that works for me. I looked at IBM and Toshiba models with the smaller screens, and really liked the Sonys, but they're just not in my price range. If that works better and you have the money for it, buy all means buy another brand, be it Panasonic or something else. If you're cheap, just keep checking techbargains.com for the Dell discount codes and get one of these. So far it's proven a great travel laptop (and I haven't blown it up running off 220 here in Ireland).

Tom in Galway, Ireland today

Cost??? Somehow I think we're way out of my price range :D

Mine only runs 5 hours, but I can power it off the airplane in flight (AA has powerports on most of their mainline planes), and I have a plug for Ireland to recharge that's working fine.

Good question
 

It might be challenging at times - specifically when the person in front of me fully reclines - but for the most part, the answer is yes.

I agree that I would not want to have anything larger than a 15" screen.

Gimme three hours...
 

All of my work travel is domestic so I don't anticipate ever needing 12 hours battery life - it does sound appealing though. I'm OK with my three hours battery life as it about all the amount of time I will spend working anyway.