Screen
The size of the screen has a lot to do with the size and weight of the computer, but if it's too small you'll have too much trouble reading it. Don't get one that is smaller than 12" (measured diagonally), and try to get 14" or higher. Be sure it uses Active Matrix technology. This is also called TFT. Stay away from Dual-scan or anything that has the word scan in the name. You should be able to read text clearly at a resolution of 1,024 x 768 pixels. If you can't, pass it up. Higher resolutions will give you more desktop to work with, but the higher the resolution, the smaller the dots that make up the letters. Sometimes you cannot lower the resolution in order to make things bigger - it just puts a black border around the smaller image.

Keyboard
Beware of ultra-light notebooks, especially if they are smaller than normal. That usually means that the keyboard is smaller than normal, and your typing may be affected.

Ports
It's not uncommon now for a laptop computer to have only USB ports. If you plan to use your computer with the Scan 'n Sew PC or Customizer 2000, you must have a serial port. For Digitizer 10000 you must have a parallel port unless you have the small USB dongle. There are devices sold which plug into a USB port and provide serial and/or parallel ports. These will not work with any Janome software.

Disk Drive
Bigger is always better, but storage sizes have jumped so much that even the standard size provided should be adequate for your sewing software needs.

RAM Memory
You can't be too rich or too thin, and you can't have too much RAM. Plan on a minimum of 256MB - more is better.

Pointing Device
All laptops have the ability to use an external mouse. All of them also come with either a touchpad or a "stick" between the G, H and B keys. Which you prefer is up to you - some like one over the other. Many laptops come with both, but if only one is provided, make sure you'll be happy with it.

Operating System
Since January, 2002, it's just about impossible to get anything but Windows XP. If you find a computer with something other than this, it's probably an old model & you should give it a pass. XP comes in a "Home" version and a "Professional" version. Either will be fine, and it's not worth paying extra to upgrade to the "Pro" version, unless you need the features for using the computer on your job. If you are using Digitizer 10000, you must have at least version 1.2 for full compatibility with XP. It is not necessary to install D10K from the CD if you need to apply the 1.2 upgrade. Simple download and install the 1.2 upgrade instead of the CD. See this page for upgrade details.

Extended Warranty
Getting an extended warranty is nearly always a good idea on a laptop. The portable nature of them causes lots more bumps and bruises than a desktop will ever get, and it's possible that something will fail outside the warranty period. If you have the extended warranty, somebody else pays, not you.

Brand
This is subjective, and your opinion may very well differ from mine. Here are my opinions - yours may differ:

Good: Dell, Toshiba

Neutral: Gateway, Sony, Fujitsu, Panasonic, IBM

Avoid: Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, CTX, Other brands you never heard of