I've got a 13.3" Toshiba Portege R700. Very lightweight, cost me around AUD1299 last year (ex tax), has proved to be stable and pleasant. I run Linux on it though. I swapped the original HDD for an SSD to improve boot times and noise levels.
Only downside is the screen intensity is quite low, the screen viewing angle isn't great, and the onboard audio is more quiet than I'd prefer, so I wouldn't generally use it to watch films. That may be due to poor quality Linux drivers.
My next machine will probably be a MacBook. I've held out a long time, but I can't resist the combination of build quality and price point any longer. The screens and keyboards are a bit too good.
