SS - I've played with them all, and settled on a Gateway a few months ago. You'll prob get about as many opinions on which is best as we see when someone asks the question - who is the best dive operator or what is the beach bar.
HP's, IMNSHO, are not what they used to be since the Compaq merger.
Keli - Why not simply buy a new battery pack, if holding a charge is your only issue? How long does it take to run down? Perhaps your power mgmt settings need reviewed.