Some Notebook Queries

[Sykkie]

I've just received a promotion that will require me to travel up to northern Alberta, Canada. I've been told that the course will be 7 months long and it would be in my best interest to pack fairly light, as the quarters at the cottage are fairly cramped.

Anyway, I received a fairly large bonus when I got the promotion and the "course" is basically a paid vacation. So I'm willing to spend somewhere between $2-2600 CDN on the computer.

Anyway, since I've got a fair bit of free time, I figured I'd purchase a notebook computer to entertain myself up there. I want something powerful enough to play the newer games and something that'll play DVD movies.

Has anybody here got any experience with notebooks? If so, which brands should I stay away from and which ones are consumer friendly?

Thanks for the help.