the INTERNET is relatively easy thing to come by. there are essentially 4 things that contribute to a laptops ability to connect and surf; these are ram, possessor, wireless device, and bus speed. battery life is important to but only if you plan on spending lots of time away from an outlet, like a bus or train. any laptop that has at least 2gb ram, 2.0ghtz possessor, wireless G, and buss speed of 800mbps you will be just fine. if you are going to be watching HD movies tho i recommend getting a laptop with a good video card.