My main development machine of choice is an IBM(Lenovo) Thinkpad T42. Mine was nicely configured, with a

Pentium M 1.7 GHz, 1024 MB RAM, 80 GB HDD, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive, and a 9 Cell battery; allowing me to work away from the wall for several hours at a time. This laptop weighs in at just under 5 lbs, with the standard battery of course, maybe half a pound heavier with the extended battery. I must say that I totally enjoy this laptop, as it is thin and light, fast, highly reliable, and has a bright screen.

I have owned other laptops before, and this isn't my fastest most powerful machine that I currently own, but it does get the job done quite nicely. It has proved to be durable, and has been one of the best investments that I have ever made. The reason I chose this laptop was because I had actually familiarized myself with the T41, T42, and T43 laptops prior to this, so I had a working knowledge of their durability, and performance. This laptop has great ergonomics, and stays cool to the touch during the most demanding computing. One of the neatest features that I must say I use all of the time is the keyboard light, if you are in an area with low light, just turn it on, and it lights up your keyboard for you. They have one of the leading websites as well, filled with a wealth of information, including e-mail to tech support, FAQs, and driver downloads.This is definitely a great no frills business class laptop, there isn't any extra bling bling added, just everything you would expect in an IBM. Mine has been further upgraded to include 2GB of RAM, and a 160 GB HDD. 

If you are in the market for a decent, fast, reliable business class laptop, take a serious look at some of the IBM/Lenovo laptops, specifically the T Series. You won't be disappointed.