I've always been a PC person (since the 286), but my wife recently was assigned a MacBook & a MacAir laptop. I'm hooked on Mac now, especailly for a student.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9166635&type=product&id=1218041148373 Warranty Terms - Parts1 year limited Warranty Terms - Labor1 year limited Product Height1.7" Product Width15.6" Product Weight7.8 lbs. Product Depth11.2" Color CategoryBrown-Light Processor BrandAMD ProcessorAMD Turion™ X2 Processor Speed2.1GHz Display TypeWXGA+ high-definition widescreen with BrightView technology (1440 x 900) Screen Size17" Cache Memory1MB on die level 2 System Memory (RAM)4GB System Memory (RAM) Expandable To8GB Type of Memory (RAM)DDR2 Hard Drive TypeSerial ATA (5400 rpm) Hard Drive Size320GB Optical DriveDouble-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW Optical Drive SpeedsDrive speeds not specified Direct-Disc LabelingYes Digital Media Reader or SlotsYes, digital media card reader GraphicsATI RADEON HD 3200 graphics RS780M Video MemoryUp to 1918MB total available Personal Video Recorder (PVR)No TV TunerNo MPEGYes Built-in WebcamYes Modem56 Kbps* *Capable of receiving 56 Kbps downloads. However, current regulations limit download speed to 53 Kbps. NetworkingBuilt-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector) Wireless NetworkingWireless-B+G Bluetooth-EnabledNo S-Video OutputsNone Additional Audio/Video ConnectorsHDMI AudioSRS Premium sound SpeakersBuilt-in PCMCIA SlotsNone USB 2.0 Ports4 IEEE 1394 FireWire PortsNone Parallel PortsNone Serial PortsNone Game PortsNone Laptop WeightStandard (more than 5.5 lbs.) Battery TypeLithium ion Battery LifeUp to 2 hours and 30 minutes Pointing DeviceTouchpad Operating SystemWindows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1 Included SoftwareHP MediaSmart; Microsoft Works; muvee Reveal; Cyberlink DVD Suite; Adobe Acrobat Reader and more Included AccessoriesHP mobile remote ENERGY STAR QualifiedYes --------------------- Thats option 1 and its 649.99 but thats retail If you buy from wholesaler you can get a lot better ie http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152116 Brand MSI Model EX620-1W1US Part# 9S7-167414-1W1 General Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2.0G Screen 16" WXGA Memory Size 4GB DDR2 Hard Disk 320GB Optical Drive DVD Super Multi Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 Video Memory 256MB DDR2 VRAM Communication Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN Card slot 1 x Express Card Dimensions 13.66" x 9.68" x 1.4-1.63" Weight 5.95 lbs. Tech Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology Other Features Fingerprint reader CPU CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo CPU Speed T6400(2.00GHz) CPU FSB 800MHz CPU L2 Cache 2MB Chipset Chipset Intel PM45 Display Screen Size 16" Wide Screen Support Yes LCD Features Glare Display Type Wide XGA Resolution 1366 x 768 Operating Systems Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium Graphics GPU/VPU ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 Video Memory 256MB DDR2 VRAM Graphic Type Dedicated Card Hard Drive HDD 320GB HDD Interface SATA Memory Memory Speed DDR2 667 Memory 4GB Max Memory Supported 4GB Memory Spec 2GB x 2 Optical Drive Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi Optical Drive Interface Integrated Communications Modem 56K LAN 10/100/1000Mbps WLAN 802.11 b/g/n WLAN Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) Ports Card Slot 1 x Express Card USB 3 Video Port 1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI Other port 1 x ESATA/USB Combo Audio Ports Yes Audio Audio HD Audio Speaker 2 speakers + subwoofer Input Device Touchpad Yes Keyboard Standard Supplemental Drive Card Reader 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS) Webcam 2.0MP Power AC Adapter Output: 19V DC, 65W Input: 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal Battery 6-cell lithium ion Physical spec Dimensions 13.66" x 9.68" x 1.4-1.63" Weight 5.95 lbs. Manufacturer Warranty Parts 1 year limited Labor 1 year limited --------- Second has a slightly better vid card and is 50$ less both similar. Just shop around dont get ripped off by brand name like vaio or mac. Actually DONT EVER BUY MAC!!!! :P But these both have more the enough for your daughter

not getting too specific i would recomment a Dell, they are easy and mostly worry free. i would do a dell with windows xp operating system and a 14 or 15 inch screen

Acer Aspire One- it's around $350 (something simple, with all features the average 14 year old needs. If you see that the child needs more, then think about something bigger, better and faster.

For this use, nearly ANY reasonably priced new laptop would be absolutely perfectly suited. EVERYBODY has their preferences, and so do I. However, you do NOT need to be confused by someone elses preferences. I'll give you some simple guidelines. From there, you need to do your own legwork. I'd recommend going to a place like Best Buy where you can actually TALK to someone and tell them what you're looking for (i.e.-what it's to be used for). 1. You do NOT need a high-end laptop. Unless you plan on running some PC/internet gaming system or using high powered programs like Computer Aided Design software, this is TOTALLY unnecessary. 2. Get WiFi capability with the laptop. 3. Lots of hard drive space is good...BUT...don't go overboard. Look at the cost first. I wouldn't go above 128 GB. This will give your daughter PLENTY of room to do anything she wants. If she runs out of space on her hard drive, it's very likely due to video files, which can be quite large. (And numerous...she's a teenager, after all.) If she used up all her storage space on the hard drive, it's a very simple and cheap fix for her to buy a smal portable external hard drive that she can litterally plug into her laptop and copy everything over to. Then she can delete all those files off her laptop and free up plenty of space. 3. RAM: almost EVERY computer sold will have just as littl RAM installed on their base package as they can get away with and still run most of your programs. I can't stand that! This leads to problems down the road with the laptop being slow or programs freezing up. Personally, my opinion is to max out the computer for whatever it's capable of taking. You can pay to have that option, or you can do it yourself. But DON'T just take the laptop with the minimum RAM option. 4. PC or MAC? I prefer PC, simply because that's all I've used and there are FAR more options out there for programs. You decide. 5. CD/DVD ROM/burner as a minimum. This allows your daughter to read and play CD's/DVD's and to burn information onto CD's or DVD's. Blu-Ray is out now, but in my opinion it's too costly an option, especially for the benefit your daughter would reap. 6. SCREEN SIZE: Go with the standard 15 inch. The wide screen format is more than she needs and too expensive an option for the benefits she would reap. Don't go for the smaller netbooks...nothing is more annoying to me than not having a screen big enough to do my work on. 7. Software: Since she's going to be using this for school work, make sure the computer either comes with, or that you buy, the full Microsoft Office Suite. Word, PowerPoint and Excel are the programs she may need, so she should have them all. That's pretty much it. Don't get caught up in the whole technical mumbo-jumbo and any high pitched sales tactics. You want a simple laptop to meet the needs you described above. And you need the things I discussed above. When you shop for the laptop, be SURE you aren't buying cr*p you didn't ask for. They like to sell options for wireless connectivity programs and such. If you have internet in the home, you DON'T need to pay for some Verizon mobile broadband capability. She's NOT a business woman who needs that, and it'll end up being an ongoing expense later to keep the service. You should be able to find plenty of well known name brands to suit your needs. HP and Dell are good ones. Shop at Best Buy and play around with the laptops to see what they're like before choosing. And if you find more than one, have your daughter make the choice. As long as it fits her needs and your budget.

Personally, I am a sucker for the Acer Aspire One. It's powerful enough to do what I need it to do, is fairly rugged, has no problems with videos (I surf Youtube on mine all the time), and is only $350. Two caveats though. 1) The speakers aren't great though so music will require either headphones or external speakers. HOWEVER, that is true of most laptops, and the only ones I have EVER seen with decent built-in speakers were well out of your stated price range. 2) The AA1 lacks a CD drive. If all of her music is already in digital format (WMA, MP3...) then that isn't an issue. And if she has access to a network where one of the computers has an optical drive, it's also not an issue. Whenever I need something from a CD that I can't just download directly, I plop the disc into my desktop system and copy it over our home network.

Whoa!!!!! $800? What does she want to do with it, predict global weather? You can get a very good, modern computer for less than $400 - and that's without any special student offers etc. Chances are you'll get great deals on eBay or similar, and it will still be great for most uses. Keep in mind that computers, like mobile phones, get old quickly so you might be looking at a recurring cost. Best not go for the expensive stuff to begin with.