>I managed to convince my boss that I need a new laptop.   So, I wanted 
to get recommendations about what brands and
 >models that others have been happy with.  I have great latitude in 
selected my own laptop - so I'm not restricted to
 >certain manufactures.

In my experience, there are three general classifications of laptop:

1. IBM ThinkPads
2. Apple PowerBooks.
3. Crap.