Actually, if you get Vista Premium, it's nice. I just got a new laptop with Vista and I like it a lot (once I turned off the stupid "we need your permission to open anything" crap).
If you can get past the aesthetics, Lenovos are great laptops. Probably the best value and most durable laptops you can buy. If you'd like something that looks more mainstream, consider Asus or Acer laptops. I'd avoid Dell and HP if you can.
