[slodave]

Correction, it's 10pm yesterday in Hawaii..

Not really... I really haven't shopped laptops in a year. Not familiar with what's out there.

Generic config...

i5 processor
Win 7 home premium.
at least 6 gigs RAM, but really would not need more than 8... Becomes a waste of $.
Decent hard drive 500 gigs+ 7,200 RPM
Optical drive - make sure it burns DVD's. If it does, it does CD's as well.
Video card onboard v separate...
Mine is onboard and good for watching Youtube, DVD's, basic graphics and games. (though I do use Photoshop quite a bit). This will save a few dollars and is okay if the above is what you will do, but if you do decide to start a career as a photographer, a separate card is worth while for reasons beyond the scope of this post.

Weight and screen size... That's up to you. Is it a laptop for home... Heavier is not too much of a concern. Plan to travel with the laptop, then start thinking about the weights and decide how much is to much to lug around.