And, except for those in the very high end, they make compromises in favor of weight. That said, check out Compaq models, IBM's ThinkPad, and the Macintosh iBook, the best-selling portable computer in the U.S. retail market during October, according to PC Data. Go for an inkjet. Lasers cost more and most of us can't tell them apart performance-wise. And, of course, color capability is handy if you're doing any sort of digital imaging.
Resolution is the key, and more is better.
They're always included with a system, but Microsoft, Logitech and others offer better ones, from both style and ergonomic standpoints. Once you've used a mouse with a wheel that lets you scroll without clicking on the scroll bar, for example, you're hooked. Check them out. More resolution is better. For word-processing, it's either Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect.