■ Budget: less than $1000
■ Size: 15.6" preferably, no smaller than 14" acceptable.
■ Resolution: 1080p (1920x1080). Touch screen optional.
■ Portable. Less than 5lbs.
■ Battery: 6 - 8 hrs battery life.
■ Games: Sure, the option would be nice. Medium settings fine.
■ Tasks: Everything. Photo editing. MS Office. Basic computing stuff.
■ Storage: No preference. This can easily be upgraded.
■ Specifics: Dedicated graphics card. Considering something in the Asus Zenbook or N56 line. Don't really need an optical drive, I can get an external one. If touch screen - Win 8. If no touch screen, Win 7 is fine.
■ Longevity: I've had my current laptop 6+ years, so... Put it this way - until the hinge breaks on the monitor.
■ Optical drive: Not necessary. I'd prefer the weight savings and battery life.
■ Brands: I like Asus because of the build quality. Lenovo is nice too but I'd like an aluminum case / magnesium chassis. I'd consider any others but no experience with them.
■ Country: USA
■ Additional info: Number keys! Because why not?
3rd Gen Intel Core i5 or i7; 6-8GB RAM; 15.6" full HD (1920x1080); dedicated GPU; aluminum chassis; Bluetooth; WiFi; HDMI; WiDi would be cool.
I'd look at an AMD processor if someone convinced me it were comparable.
I'm considering this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009M2X8OW/
And this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B6VLYSE/
The latter is perfectly aligned with my desires but out of my price range. I don't need that much processing power either. Anything similar in terms of build quality but maybe with an i5 would be awesome. Why are the Zenbooks unavailable in the US?