Preferred: Dell, Toshiba
Recommended: Asus, HP
Not recommended: Acer, MSI
Ignore: Fujitsu, Packard Bell
Thank you! Looking at the web and asking people about their impressions with these brands, I got quite a similar result.
Dell is the best in general according to the tests I read lately but they are quite expensive. One of the hostel PC operators also suggested that.
Toshiba sounds good too, not that expensive and my boss (using it 6-8 hours a day) also has an old Toshiba, working for ages (6 years) without any failures.
Asus... bit ambivalent feelings, I heard both good and bad things about that brand and one of my workmates has serious problems with a basic Asus model.
HP is a secret favorite (costs/quality ratio is good) although I hate their laser printers...
I liked my old Acer, it worked more or less without problems. Okay, battery sucked, charger "exploded" at the beginning and the plastic parts had really bad mechanic properties - but it survived some falls and once hot candle wax.
But their service is shameful, it's hard to get reserve parts if something gets wrong.
MSI is too cheap compared to the written performance, it must be crappy.
Fujitsu Siemens is the worst brand I've heard about. Böbszlee has a basic Amilo computer, it's really weak...
Packard Bell... I don't know anybody using that.
+1 that I forgot to list: Lenovo ("IBM") must be good too but it's just a feeling - no real experience so far in the neighbourhood.
Most likely I'm going to choose Toshiba or HP. Maybe Lenovo.
and if you take a good advice you don't go 17" 
17" was really a bad idea - too heavy to travel with.
Poll