The current #1 at Amazon is very similar to my wife's Asus x200ca.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Computers-Accessories-Laptop/zgbs/pc/565108/ref=zg_bs_nav_pc_1_pc is the list and current #1 seems to hit most of your points. HOWEVER it would be debatable about battery "life." Batteries are still 300 cycle things so if you ran it down every day you would need a battery every year. That's not much life.
In this price range, it's still what I'd choose.
Bob
Hi Guys,
I'm new to this forum and just looking for some laptop buying advice. I'm looking to buy a new laptop, one that is $300 or less. Here are the specs that I'm seeking:
1. Lightweight
2. 11" or larger
3. Able to output full HD (the laptop itself doesn't have to be 1920x1080, as long as it can output Full HD to a monitor)
4. Reliable, fast, generally good performance
5. Good battery life
6. HDMI output
I'm mostly going to be using it for surfing the web, watching movies, and for some other programs such as MS Office. It doesn't need to have the best graphics card in the world, but if it has a decent one it would be a bonus.
Thanks in advance for all your help!
Luke

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