I've been surfing around and looking for a while, and can't make myself commit. I do not need the most cutting edge; in fact, I'd rather not.
Preferences:
light over heavy
small over large
sturdy over wimpy
PC over Mac
some speed would be nice
touchpad, not trackball
MS Office over Vista (if that's possible w/o buying a used machine)
internal CD drive (DVD is lagniappe, but not necessary)
speakers can be crap (I use headphones)
internet speed is unecessary, since this is for writing
I understand one can't use Word/Open Office on the ultraportables like the Asus EEE--is that correct?