With Back to School-season just around the corner, many of you may be thinking about investing in a new laptop. With so many options and price ranges available, we turned to Jaime Beeler, contributor to NotebookReview.com to give us a round-up of her favorite units that can be had for under $1000.

HP L2000 This is a brand new notebook from HP that was made in cooperation with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The L2000 offers a great 14 widescreen display with BrightView (high color glossy finish), fast AMD processor options, integrated media card reader and several wireless options. It starts at $899 and can easily be had near $1000 with a few upgrades. This is the machine I just bought for myself because of the great value and the added yellow design elements to highlight the Lance Armstrong Foundation relationship, which also gets $50 with every purchase. The design makes it a bit more distinctive than other notebooks, but its not for everyone.

HP dv1000 Similar to the L2000, the dv1000 is also a 14 widescreen model that is fully customizable on HPs site, or available at most major retailers. Its a little easier to find at retail and uses the Intel Pentium Mobile chip, which is more battery friendly than the AMD chip in the L2000. Its also very media oriented, complete with a wireless remote control option.

Dell 700m With a 12 screen, the 700m is much smaller and lighter than most other notebooks on the market, perfect for a student who plans to take it to class, or otherwise transport it around frequently. It offers a clear bright screen, Pentium M processor and an integrated optical drive, something that isnt always found in such small machines. The 700m starts right at $1000, but Dell routinely offers coupons and special incentives that can get the price much lower.

Toshiba M40 The M40 offers a brilliant 15.4 widescreen, perfect for more stationary use at home. While still portable, its the heaviest of the bunch, but does bring more options to the table, like graphics cards designed for gaming. Prices start at $800 for customizable machines, a well equipped unit can be configured for $1000 or less.

Jamie also offered some important tips:

• Buying online might be your best bet. Many times the incentives offered online are better than in the store, the machines can be tailored to fit each owner and in most cases, notebooks are being sold with free shipping and depending on where you live, no sales tax.
• When buying peripherals, like printers, there are often combination rebates or discounts if buying the notebook and printer at the same time.

>> Modern Mom Profiles...WNBA's Sheryl Swoopes >> Stretch Mark Solutions >> Travel Tips for Expectant Moms >> Adventures of Supermom >> Modeling a Good Marriage for Kids

- a look at life from one modern mom

This week:
Pool (Pity) Party

Share photos of your baby with friends and family! Store and share photos for FREE in our Photo Center powered by Snapfish.

> FREE Doughnuts and Coffee from Krispy Kreme
> FREE Child Identification Kits
> FREE Coupons: Print them from your computer at CoolSavings
> American Baby - Free Magazine Subscription
> Get a FREE Dr.Seuss backpack and 8 books for just $3.99!
> Upromise - FREE Money for College!
> Get a Year's Worth of FREE Diapers!
> Win a $5000 Scholarship
> FREE Zoobooks Issue and Tiger Poster!

From Our Sponsors