Lenovo: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5573
HP: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5497
Dell: http://www.dell.com/us/en/business/n...latitude-e6510 (click gallery link)

The light isn't always on. It clicks on or off. It's the little square thing to the right of the webcam. But yeah not as nice as backlit.



Keys seem fine?



Both the Lenovo and Dell have speakers on either side of their keyboards so the HP seems to just use that space for the numeric.





I'm using it as a basic web browsing & media laptop, hooking up to my tv for hulu, bringing it along with me when I travel, the occasional coffee shop meeting with people, and photoshop/lightroom. So basically the extra horsepower is to give me headroom with photoshop and so it'll still be speedy for longer into the future.

 

:rofl: Seriously?!?! You don't need to spend that much money for what you need in a laptop. My wifes $800 laptop runs photoshop, premiere, lightroom, etc just fine. The screen is super crisp, and the sound isn't bad. The only thing I wish it had was an HDMI output and BD player, but you can still get those for around a grand. Oh...and her's is a 17".

 

:rofl: I just can't get over at how those Lenovo's look like they're from 1995.

If I were you, even though it's not in your choices, I'd get a Macbook Pro. They're so nice and they were just refreshed. h:

 

Need /= want.

I'd rather spend a bunch on something with a proper resolution screen, great specs and built to last, than get a "deal" on a 1366x768 screen mid-level specs plasticky POS that I'll just have to replace sooner anyway.

17" is larger than I want to sling over my shoulder.
Specs on the base model $1800 15" MBP:

Core i5-520M dual-core
4 GB RAM
320 GB 5400 RPM HD
Nvidia Geforce 330M 256 MB vid card
1440x900 glossy screen

To get the specs close to the Dell/HP/Lenovo but with a dual-core i7-620M instead of quad-core i7-720M costs $2800.

I don't care how the thing looks.

 

You can go for the "bang for your buck" if you want and get the higher numbers, or you can go for better build and product quality. Do you want loud, hot and heavy or quiet, warm and light? You get what you pay for. I'm still using my 5 year old Macbook and i plan to get at least another good year out of it before replacing it. Anyway, whatever you end up getting, I'm sure you'll like it just fine.

 

Blah blah blah Mac cult I'm not listening.

These are all built out of various combinations of metal and carbon fiber with solid cooling systems that run quiet and the Dell weighs exactly the same as the MBP.

As for heat...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/26/c...sius-your-lap/

And general product quality...yeah gee thanks for the wonky graphics switching.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/21/m...king-question/

 

Okay so. Personal experience and working on laptops.
Get a lot of HP and Dells in to be fixed. Seen very very few Lenovos in and those are for getting stepped on.
HP: Decent laptops. Quality has gone down. (Personally had a couple mobos go out)
Dells: Decent laptops. Easy to work on when they break. (Never owned)
Lenovo: Own one now, by far the best I've had. Best battery and battery longevity.

My thing with laptops. So many of them feel cheap. Macs feel heavy duty, but you're paying close to 1k more on average for the same specs. And they're heavy as fuck. My lenovo has thicker plastic, but isn't too heavy.
So I lean toward the Lenovo.

 

for what it's worth, i have a lenovo W500. freaking rock solid and it's a workhorse....but ugly as sin h:

 

I ordered the Dell. Was the only option with the 1920x1080 screen. I briefly considered the HP Envy 15 which also has a 1920x1080 screen option and a better vid card (ATI HD 5830 1 GB) and is a bit thinner than the Dell. But it has no backlit keyboard, apparently gets really hot with the i7 quad, and that vid card helps kill the battery life. What little gaming I do is on my PS3 so I figure this works fine for my needs. Now time to order a displayport-to-HDMI cable from Monoprice so I can use it for Hulu on my tv. h:

 

Im actually posting from one and my screen is dying slowly dead pixels all over the place