Gateway Parts - Which laptop is better for a student? Sony or HP? Other suggestions?

Which laptop is better for a student? Sony or HP? Other suggestions?

I am looking at the 550$ Sony VAIO VGN-NS110E/S and the 600$ Gateway T-6836. Here are the specs. For the Sony: http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=233169#prodspecs and for the Gateway: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/gateway-t-6836/4507-3121_7-33088556.html?tag=mncol;rnav Do you know better laptops besides these around six hundred dollars?

Public Comments

Shouldn't your question be "Sony or Gateway?" then? ;) The Gateway one is far better spec-wise.
Dell. Dell has perfect customer support and will replace anything and everything for free if you have the warranty. Laptops... always Dell. You don't want to be the person at school who can't get their laptop provider to come to their dorm room the next day with free replacement parts and a technician to fix it for you.
HP for sure
I have had a Sony for a long time and feel it is the best in terms of quality and service. However, they can be a bit pricy as well. I now use an Apple laptop and feel Apple is much better. Try to scout for good online deals before you buy anything.
Go with the Gateway. More ram and bigger hard drive
Don't listen to the answerer who said Dell. First off, you should get neither. Sony and HP laptops aren't geared for college in the slightest. I say, get a Mac. Broaden your horizons. I despise the Sony Vaio line, it really sucks. However, Gateway's even worse! If you want a laptop around $600, get a refurbished MacBook. Trust me, it'll save you a lot of time rather than getting one of these. P.S. If you insist on choosing between Sony or HP as your question states, get the HP, even though it still won't be on par with the performance and easy of use of a Mac.