Dell 300m vs. Sony v505ex

Hey guys, just wanted to get your opinions on these two notebooks. I'm looking for something as light weight as possible, with minimal features, something adaquate for school that wouldn't require much lugging.

I find the Dell 300m very appealing, and the only reason I haven't purchased it already is that it's battery life isn't quite up to par. At 2 hours, I'd be obliged to take that 1 pound external battery with me many times. But besides that, the 300m looks perfect; sufficient HD space, memory, speed. I don't plan on playing too many games at school, but the option would be nice. Most of all, it's less than 3lbs, amazing.

Sony v505 would be my alternative. It's nearly the same price as the 300m, probably a bit more. But its quite a bit more powerful, 20 gigs more space, nearly double the memory, 1.5ghz as opposed to 1.2 from the dell, internal burner. 4 hour battery is very nice, no having to carry extra weight. At 4.35lbs, its ok, nothing incredible. The included ATI 9200 is nice, leaves me that option of playing games and whatnot.

I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but this is what it's come down to for me. Power vs. size. What do you guys think? is that extra 1.35lbs significant? 2 hour battery too little? My personal bias here would be to lean towards the Dell because of that super small size. Am I crazy for choosing that over the sony?

Other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for the reply guys.

Yes I've looked at both the T41 and TRA2. The TRA2 is a bit out of my price range... I'm aiming for 1500 or so, my budget is somewhat tight. The TRA2's screen is very nice, but 10 inches is a bit small.

I do very much like the T41, and the price isn't bad... but when you factor in the cost of a cdrw instead of the standard dvd-rom, it gets a bit spendy. I've also been looking at the x31 and x40... they're very nice. but again, lack of an optical drive is kind of a turn off.

speaking of which, if I got the dell 300m, it would come with a free external cdrw/dvdrom. But you're right, the battery life is making me stray more and more from that choice...

Just to throw something else in the mix, what do you guys think about the Panasonic T2? I would love to have the W2 but that's way out of my price range at this point. All the T2 seems to be missing is an optical drive. Excellent battery life.

wow, that thing looks great! Any of you have any personal experience with it? Only thing I'm worried about is how reliable an Asus would be, in comparison with the sony/dell.

the difference between the asus and the dell 300m, however, is that you can replace the internal battery. That's something I'm willing to do for the extra life, the notebook is cheap enough for me to afford that.

By the way, anyone know the weight of the 72whr battery? hope it doesn't put it in the 4 pound range...

argh, always too good to be true. Well, the t2 still looks appealing, the only downside being that I'd hafta purchase an external cdrw/dvd...

A different flavor of that Asus, the S5N... same thing, external cdrw/dvd, reducing weight by about .5 pounds. Which flavor do you guys prefer? I think I might chose the S5N instead, if I did get that Asus... less weight always welcome, cdrw not always necessary to have with you.

Think I found the battery?
http://pc11.flashecom.com/startech/p...dept_id=18-001

Any idea on the 48whr battery? That comin out the same time? assuming around 4 hours of usuage, good enough for me... that one stick out the back?

Pro portable appears not to be the sole retailer...

After Emailing Asus, they referred me to ESC Technologies (to ask when the external battery would be available).
http://www.escstore.com/system_dept.asp?dept_id=SD-008

Bit cheaper than proportable...

If that's the case on the 48whr, I suppose I'd go with the 72whr. But I'd hope it doesn't protrude too much..

Opinions on the S5Ne? Too little power? Or does it even matter on a notebook like this? Retail package is nice.