if you are in canada. i think sony would be an excellent choice.

for super small and lite. i think srx7 is an excellent choice. but again, you can only upgrade ram to 256mb using expensive MICRO-DIMM. (around 3 times more expensive than SODIMM) i think you have to calculate the TCO.

sony z505 is good too. 12.1 screan and also made in japan.

ibm quality is very good for higher end model. the screan is excellent and it builds like a tank. (very strong) but some people find it black and ugly though. i think it's more personal taste. the support and warrany is excellent. you can get it fixed almost anywhere around the WORLD!!

personally, i am not a big fan of HP stuff. they are good looking and cure. but the quality is only soso, IMO.

if performance is your piority, looking for notebook with PIII-M with Intel 830 chipset and ATI Radeon with DDR memory.

i don't know where is toshiba 4000 made. but the new 5005 is made in taiwan.. and the quality is hahaha!! giving 4000 is much more expensive, the quality should be much better.