need help selecting laptop

I don't run games or especially resource-intensive apps, but I do use many, many apps all at once (e.g. Winamp, Firefox, Thunderbird, an antivirus and firewall, IM software and who knows what else). And more to the point, I get really antsy when things don't happen NOW. I hate staring at an hour glass, know what I mean?

Also, I need 3, and preferably more, hours of battery time. I'd like this machine to be relatively useful three to five years from now, so I'd rather err on the side of getting too much processor, GPU or memory. I really hope I don't have to spend more than $1600, but we'll see.

So I'm thinking a Core 2 Duo 7000 series, 2 GB of ram, but I really don't want to get stuck with an Intel graphics card in this new era of Vista. First piece of advice I need: What are my GPU options? I heard ATI is better for mobile machines. Is that true?

Am I crazy to go with the C2D over a Turion? I like the 7200's 4 MB cache and the reviews I've read about them. Are Turions still built on 90 nm?

Finally, can anyone point me to actual links online that offer the kind of machine I'm looking for.