gdgt

That laptop is closer to 3.5 kg almost double his weight requirement. An awesome computer no less, but if the person requires a sub 5 pounder a 7+ pounder won't fit the bill.

Only recommendation I could offer is the U33JC-RX068V. This specific version is not available in the US, but maybe ezee has access to the UK market since he's using kg.

You'll have to upgrade the HDD and Ram on your own once you get the laptop, but you'll have the weight (1.75 kg), CPU (i5), webcam, and battery life (rated 9 hrs) you are looking for.

If you can settle for USB 2.0 + eSATA, the Envy 14 would be a great choice, but if USB 3 is mandatory, finding the mix of weight and USB 3.0 is going to be tough until Intel integrates USB3 into their chipset.

lol either way it's not what he wants... he'll have to settle for something

I might say the HP Envy 17 as well. Your specs are close to mythical, especially when you throw in that weight requirement. When you're talking i5 and i7 under the hood, most companies are only including them in beefy desktop replacements. You can get a dual drive SSD/HDD option on the HP Envy 17 and pull the HDD if you like. You get a USB 3.0 port on the newest version, you can select 8GB of RAM and a 9-cell battery, and you get a nice integrated webcam. Then, all you're compromising on is weight. You'll also want a backpack. Or wait a year, and all this stuff will surely come in smaller packages.

precisely

Vaio Z - (if it sported a USB 3.0) or Envy 15 (if it had USB 3.0 and SSD) once looked fair choices , but I do believe that since I shall be using it over next two-three years; it would be worth waiting a month or two, and someone may announces this addition. If something is possible earlier - it shall be a delight. If you folks know any other way around to resolve the dilemma, I shall be grateful.

If you can wait for CES to see what get announced then that would be the best bet to get everything all together in 1 package. There are a few other ultraportables that have the mix of Battery, weight, web cam, and CPU.

Lenovo ThinkPad T410s - CTO upgrade SSD
Toshiba Protege r700 - CTO upgrade SSD
Dell Latitude e6410 - CTO upgrade SSD & RAM

Each of the models have CTO options so you can get a factory installed SSD and/or 8GB Ram. The systems that don't offer a CTO upgrade to 8GB ram can have 8GB of RAM installed by the user. If price is an issue, installing your own SSD will probably save you $100-$200 and most hard drive warranties are better than factory system warranties, also you can take the factory mechanical HDD and place it in a portable USB3 enclosure.

All three have ExpressCard so you could add a USB 3.0 card. If you go that route, I would recommend picking a USB 3.0 ExpressCard that drew power from a USB 2.0 port, that way you don't have to rely on a second wall socket to provide the extra power USB3 needs but unavailable to a low voltage connection of ExpressCard. Newegg has 2 such cards under $30.

Or again, wait for the CES refreshes of those models as well as the Sony Z for a USB 3 supporting ultraportable.

Yet another example, hot off the press: www.engadget.com­/2010­/10­/15­/lesance­-gsn801gaw­-gami...

Again, you lose big in the weight category. A LIGHT laptop with the specs you're looking for isn't on it's way anytime soon I would guess, even at next year's CES (January), if this is what's coming out in October.

$5400? LOL