I would say, finding out the best brand is largely dependent upon who you ask. There are many willing to tell you, but very few “really” know computers and even fewer know laptops. Always try to read past the pride of a person and remember, if they claim they know… they don’t.

As to best brands, you have to determine what is more important to you: price, performance (video, speed, etc), durability, battery life, warranty (honored/service/time period), weight, screen (size, vertical/horizontal, resolutions), accessories (dvd, dvdr, i/o ports and slots, detachable iphone, microphone, camera, pen, etc), and whatever else that may be high on your list. The reason for this is that not all brands provide what you “need” and even fewer will provide what you want, all in one package. So, truth be told, figure out what you want first, then try to find the laptops that have those features. From there you can do comparisons.

SUMMATION
Truth be told, there is no simple answer. Usually it is “budget” that sets the greatest limiter to your purchasing interests. If that is your case, I would recommend Asus. They provide some of the best laptops (they also manufacture the Apple Macbooks, which gives a good indication of their quality control) and the price is more than reasonable. Also, their Eee PCs are just plain cute.

Hope this helps some of you