Hello everyone,

After looking through the forums a bit, I've been able to find lots of threads about different processors, caches, etc., but was wondering if anybody would be able to recommend a couple of laptops currently available. I use DNS 10 Preferred a lot (I write books, blogs, sales letters, etc. and use it to dictate into Word for a few hours a day). I have a desktop system that runs it very well, but need to upgrade my laptop for an on-site job I'll be doing for a few weeks.

I'm not a huge tech guy -- I vaguely understand about memory speed, L2 cache, etc. -- so I've been struggling a bit with the forum suggestions. Beyond using the laptop for Word/DNS, I mainly use spreadsheets, surf the web, and might watch DVD's (or maybe even Bluerays, if the price is right) while I'm on the road. I'd probably want something with a 13" or 14" screen, for mobility, and a battery that goes a couple of hours for short flights would be great, but those aren't really necessities.

Any suggestions in the $1,500 range? Or do I need to spend more / could get away with less? I understand that there will always be a tradeoff, but I don't want to break the bank to get an improvement that's not noticeable. 

I apologize if this has been asked dozens of times before, but couldn't find any specific recommendations on the forums, and I'll probably order a new system within a couple of days. Thanks for any advice you can give.