[onewhippedpuppy]

Older kids, right Mike? My laptops inevitably end up with damage from my young kids punching the keys too hard. We currently have an entry-level Sony Vaio that's been great for about two years, it was $500-ish when new. We used to be a dedicated Dell family, but in my opinion the quality has really gone downhill.

Personally I won't let my kids have laptops because I don't want them having a computer in their room. Not only because of the stuff that they can find on the internet, but also because of the stuff that they can put on there. A webcam and a teenager can be a very dangerous thing, and many a naive parent has said "it won't happen to me". We have a nice quiet office with a desktop, which will be their homework location through high-school. A laptop will make for a great high school graduation gift when they go off to college.