If you are planning to buy a new laptop, follow these steps for some guidance, and hopefully they will make the process of picking a laptop less frustrating.

Functional design
A well-designed interface is important for your comfort. The laptop keyboard may place a strain on your hands and wrists as you try to adapt to their compressed arrangements. The larger the keyboard the more comfortable the laptop use is.
Most laptops have either a touchpad or tracking pointer as a replacement for a mouse. For some users, though, those might become uncomfortable when used extensively. In such a case, you can simply buy a separate mouse that will help you place your arm in a more comfortable position.

Connectivity
Wireless networking is an essential feature on laptops now. Integrated wireless is the best option as it leaves your laptop ports open for other uses.
USB 2.0 may be the most common connection and will save you the trouble of carrying around a USB hub.
Bluetooth is another type of connectivity you may want in a laptop. Its benefit is wireless connectivity between all other Bluetooth devices regardless of manufacturers. For instance, all data in your cell phone can be transferred to your PC.
There are also wireless keyboard and mouse using Bluetooth technology.

Power Management
As the laptop is usually used away from the desktop, you’re going to want it to provide as much battery life as possible. A good laptop should be able to run for four hours or more on a full charge.
The operating system could be configured to utilize the battery as efficiently as possible. However, you can always simply add a second battery.

Size / Weight
Laptop computers vary in size and weight. Any extra integrated components will make the laptop weigh heavier.
The overall size of a laptop is generally determined by the size of the display it includes. If you seek to minimize size and weight for the ease of portability you should go for a laptop with a smaller display.

Features and Capability
CPU: look a fast CPUs made for the desktop like the Core 2 Duo Processors or Intel Centrino 2 line
RAM : a 2GB RAM will make multitasking works better. Even if you are going for a cheap laptop don’t go for a less than 1GB RAM.
Graphics: Look for a good 256 MB or a 512 MB graphics .
Slots: a good laptop should have enough slots in your laptop to connect external devices.
Hard Drive: Look for a spacious hard drive if you want to store music and movies in your laptop.

Customer Support and warranty
Buy your laptop from a manufacturer that provides good customer support and a warranty period of 1 year or more. Most warranties allow damaged laptops to be repaired or replaced free of cost in the first year.