Value option:
Just bought 50+ HPs for the school about 400 Euro each (ex VAT). Only 2 USB sockets so staff get a 20 Euro bluetooth mouse. Intel dual core, !Gb RAM, Enterprise Vista. Can't remember the HD capacity.
The special features - 802.11 a/b/g wireless and the option of a matt screen. We have a few high gloss screens which are trendy at the moment but staff don't like them much. After the initial 'wow' they find that reflections make them tiring to work at. So unless you always wear dark clothes and work in dark corners, I would steer clear of 'crystal clear' or 'extra bright' or 'hard glass' screens.
For personal use consider an upgrade to 3yrs warranty, 2Gb RAM and make sure you get a model with a DVD burner.
Within your budget, you should be able to get Mrs 621andy one of her own so she can watch and record DVDs while you are on the road with yours.