I am using a VAIO

They may seem expensive, but its the quality that matters

My VAIO is only 1.7kg with battery and battery has a life of 6 hrs!! Of course I paid a bomb for it, but its truly great!! I am really happy with it.

I don't consider myself a techie, but a few techie friends are also using VAIO and are happy. My brother is using Dell and is happy too! So its ultimately, value for money that matters.
But for lappies, the first thing that you should do is fix your budget. You've already done that.
Then in that price range check the specs, warranty, extended warranty, weight, battery life, service center, etc. and then buy.
In specs you must check
1. Processor
2. MoBo
3. RAM (how much, how many sticks, upgrade cost)
4. HD
5. Optical Drive (DVD RW, Combo, etc.)
6. Screen size
7. Keys of the keyboard. Check if you are comfortable with the size of keys
8. Goodies like fingerprint sensor, webcam, etc.
9. Wi-Fi
10. Card Reader, bluetooth
11. Whether extra monitor can be attached to it
12. Type of graphics card
13. Number of USB ports (not too imp)
etc.
I have an excel sheet that I got from one dealer when I was inquiring for a lappy for me. Its about 1-2 months old. PM your email address and I will mail that sheet to you