Laptop replacement

[britfish]

I need to replace my laptop and need some advice on what to look for in a new one. I currently have a screen that is 15.5 inches and would like to stick in that area for size. How much memory and how big of a hardrive do I need? It will be used for downloading/editing photos, the interent and I also use it for an online course I am taking.
Will I find better deals as it gets closer to the holidays?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Radio Shack will have a Toshiba 15.6" with a 1.6GhZ processor and a 3G hard drive that my brother claims is 'too slow' but otherwise good, for $300. It's $350 right now, if that's affordable and you don't want to wait.
.

 

[britfish]

would you say that is a decent amount of memory and a suffiicient speed? I want to make sure I get a laptop that will last.