I'm coming across lot of my friends looking for buying laptops. And every time they ask me for suggestions, its like me telling the same thing (pardon me if i haven't told anything to you) or i couldn't give them their required information in the way they want it. So even after our discussion, their confusion prevails. So, in order to make it simple and have all the info you need if you're a willing to be potential laptop customer, i'm starting this thread.
Let me start with my favorite computer makers - Dell

There are three different product brand in Dell.
> Inspiron > Studio > XPS

as i'm writing this, i just got a doubt on the way i'm putting the details. I think putting it based on the requirements , instead of based on brands and makers, would be more useful. So, here is the change of plan. Here are the details of computers based on your requirements. I'm broadly classifying it as:

1. HomeWork
2. Entertainment
4. Multimedia
3. Gaming

Note: As of now, i'm starting with the Dell products, as i'm little aware of it already. You can watch this space soon for more updates on other manufacturers also. You can click on any of the above Labels for laptops in that category. Though it does not have complete details about each product, i hope this will be an useful starting point for narrowing your search.

HomeWork

This category of laptops has the configurations thru which you can do all your basic stuffs. has minimum configurations. But this requirement is not practical needed these days. I added this category just as a placeholder.


Entertainment:

This category of laptops has the configurations thats mosts requirements. Has configurations for good performance ie processor, RAM, etc, good storage ie hard disk, good components ie display, size, etc - All required for good entertainment laptop. This category of laptops will be useful, if you're want to use usual softwares like Word, and other office related s/w's and you want to watch videos, movies, store pictures, and play basic games ...

Dell Inspiron 1525 :
An exceptional wireless, movie, and multi-media experience. The slim Inspiron 1525 laptop.
Basic Price - Rs. 34000
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5800, 2.0 GHz, 2MB cache
[ + T8300, 2.4 GHz, 3MB cache : Rs. 6000]
OS: Windows Vista Home Edition
Display: 15.4"Widescreen WXGA 1280x800
Memory: 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
[ + 3GB DDR2 SDRAM: Rs. 1760]
HardDrive: 160GB SATA
Others:
Intergrated Web Cam
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
[ + TV Tuner Card : Rs. 2900]
Weight: Starting at 2.70 kg
Width: 35.7cm
Height: 2.5cm front - 3.7cm back
Depth: 25.6cm

Multimedia:

In addition to those mentioned in "Entertainment" category, this category of Laptops will be apt for using some of the resource intensive Applications like photshop, movie editing tools, some of good games ( games which does not require high end graphics and not resource intensive)

Dell Inspiron 1525 :
An exceptional wireless, movie, and multi-media experience. The slim Inspiron 1525 laptop.
Basic Price - Rs. 38000
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5800, 2.0 GHz, 2MB cache
[ + T8300, 2.4 GHz, 3MB cache : Rs. 6000]
OS: Windows Vista Home Edition
Display: 15.4"Widescreen WXGA 1280x800
Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM
[ + 4GB DDR2 SDRAM: Rs. 1760]
HardDrive: 250GB SATA
Others:
Intergrated Web Cam
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
[ + TV Tuner Card : Rs. 2900]
Weight: Starting at 2.70 kg
Width: 35.7cm
Height: 2.5cm front - 3.7cm back
Depth: 25.6cm

Dell Studio 15
Perfect balance of mobility and power.
* Up to Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor T9500
* Genuine Windows Vista® operating system
* Available in 7 colours, 5 Artist Designs and 4 trim colour options
Basic Price - Rs. 43000
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5850, 2.16 GHz, 2MB cache
[ + T8300, 2.4 GHz, 3MB cache : Rs. 4427]
OS: Windows Vista Home Edition
Display: 15.4"Widescreen WXGA 1280x800 with Truelife
Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM
[ + 4GB DDR2 SDRAM: Rs. 1760]
HardDrive: 250GB SATA
Others:
Intergrated Web Cam
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
[ + 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450 : Rs 2040]
[ + TV Tuner Card : Rs. 2900]
Width: 14.0" (355.6mm)
Height: 1.0" (25.3mm) front / 1.3" (33mm) back
Depth: 10.3" (261.5mm)
Weight: Starting weight of 6.11 lbs. (2.77 kg)

Gaming:


Dell Inspiron 1525 :
An exceptional wireless, movie, and multi-media experience. The slim Inspiron 1525 laptop.
Basic Price - Rs. 43000
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 2.4 GHz, 3MB cache
OS: Windows Vista Home Edition
Display: 15.4"Widescreen WXGA+ 1440x900 with TrueLife
Memory: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM
HardDrive: 250GB SATA
Others:
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
[check for the possibility of NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Card option with the dealer]
Intergrated Web Cam
[ + TV Tuner Card : Rs. 2900]
Weight: Starting at 2.70 kg
Width: 35.7cm
Height: 2.5cm front - 3.7cm back
Depth: 25.6cm

Dell XPS 1530
a sleek and powerful multimedia gaming machine expertly balancing performance, design and unprecedented functionality.
Basic Price - Rs. 54000
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, 2.1 GHz, 3MB cache
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
Display: 15.4"Widescreen WXGA+ 12800x800 TFT Display with TrueLife
Memory: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM
HardDrive: 320GB SATA
Others:
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT - Graphics Card
Intergrated Web Cam
[ + TV Tuner Card : Rs. 2900]

Weight: Starting at 5.78 lbs⁵ (2.62 kg)

Width: 14.06" (357 mm)

Height: 0.93" - 1.38" (23.7 mm - 35.1 mm wedge)

Depth: 10.34" (263 mm)