Toshiba products usually match Sony across the board for value at a lower price where they have an equivalent model (in notebooks, TV's DVD players, etc) and the quality is just as good. And, Bob is right about the Sony service being last for notebooks and desktops in both PC magazine and Consumer Reports (Sony quality is higher than that but their pricing is also higher and Toshiba came out above them in quality ).
A great thing HP has is a dedicated forum for this notebook that can answer all your questions and provide a community after the purchase. See zd7000forums.com -- you can get a $100 custom order rebate on any HP or Compaq notebook through 12/1/04 (see PDF file on HPshopping home page -- under mail in rebates -- don't use $50 one on order screen) and if you are a qualified college student you can get 6% more off through the APP program.