yea so im in the market for a laptop mostlikely..

im looking for something lowish profile, long bat life (possibly replace the optical bay with a second battery for more life), decently powerful.. not top of the line but up there... and most important not expencive

any ideas

You could always try the 'ole powerbook scam:
http://www.p-p-p-powerbook.com/

being a power junkie, it's time to update. i've decided to sell mine for $1000.

the major stuff is:
Toshiba Satellite 5205-s705
2.4-GHz Pentium 4 (note this is a P4, not crappy centrino or M)
512MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM
60GB hard drive
64Mb nVidia GeForce FX Go5600
CD/DVD r/rw
15.0-inch UXGA display (ultra clear & bright - not anti-glare)
TV tuner
integrated wi-fi
XP Media Center
built in SD slot
spectacular sounding harman/kardon internal speakers & sub

That is HILARIOUS.... I just spent way too much time reading that and laughed my ass off...