>I want to buy a notebook, but I have no experience in notebooks. Good brands like Compaq, DELL, and Toshiba are expensive. On the other hand, no name notebooks have higher configurations (I can even choose whatever I want on them as well), and they are really cheap. What is your idea about brand?
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>Since this is my first time, I really appreciate any thoughts and recommendations that you might have.

If you go to a conference, a high percentage of the speakers are using Dell Inspirons. These "desktop replacement" machines are also popular with people who travel a lot to contract sites.

Mine goes everywhere with me and I've been pleased with it. Be sure to get the best service plan - portable machines get a lot of jostling. Finally, a friend of mine bought a Vaio and as I was helping him get it set up I noticed that there was no Windows key between the Ctrl and Alt keys. I depend heavily on my Win key. If you do too then be sure to check out the keyboard on any machine you buy. As a matter of fact, don't think that you're going to plug a "regular" keyboard or monitor into your machine. Get the largest and best display you can and make sure the keyboard is comfortable.