I think a glossy screen is the only way you CAN work outdoors... the 'matte' screens aren't bright enough to allow you to work outdoors unless you're under cover/shade...

you might consider going to best buy or somewhere and test driving some Dells and other models to find what you like/don't like... I'm in the market for a new laptop too... but I'm less concerned with performance and more concerned with portability but without going blind.. so 15 inch is probably what I'll go with...

I'll probably go with a vista / ubuntu dual boot machine, but I'd think you'd just want a vista machine to be more compatible with work...

They won't buy you a laptop for work?