I've owned 15 portable computers over the years. (But three were SPARCs.) And I've helped take care of a lot of others. I think many Dells and Gateways are okay, but Toshiba and IBM have it all over them with respect to industrial design and ergonomics. They're just better-finished pieces of equipment. If you don't mind a little cobbiness, you'll get more bang for the buck with Dell and Gateway. But if you're picky, you'll probably be happier with IBM or Toshiba -- particularly at the high end. I like the HPs I've seen, too, but haven't had any real experience with them. I have seen many Toshibas that you couldn't break with a hammer. I actually fell from a motorcycle and landed on top of one that was strapped to my back. It was filled with silty water. I rinsed it out with distilled, de-ionized water at the lab, then dried it with low pressure, low temp filtered air. It started right up and ran without a hitch the next day. I used it for two more years after that with nary a concern. Higher end models of IBM and Toshiba are the sturdier ones (not the ultralights, though). My Dell Inspiron 7500 is a nice unit with a good screen, but poor ergonomics. And the case is BUTT ugly! The case also feels a bit weak and too flexible, especially considering that it weighs almost 10 pounds. The bad thing about buying notebooks by phone or online is that you don't get to see them until after you've bought them -- unless you know someone who already has the model you're ordering. If ergonomics are important to you, be careful about buying something you haven't actually had a chance to hold and use.
My first portable was a Panasonic Sr. Partner with a 10 meg drive, 640 KB RAM, a built-in thermal printer, a built-in 10" CRT (Yes, a CRT!), and the best full-sized keyboard I've ever owned. Weighed just about 43 pounds, as I recall. I suspect that, whatever you purchase, it will be a bit easier to deal with than that computer was!
Good luck, and have fun with the new toy!
Regards,
Jim