The "new" laptop runs like a frying pan, and is a little heavier. Quite honestly, the frying pan is more comfortable for your lap.
The "new" laptop doesn't have USB 2.0. I must purchase a PCCard for it ($40).
I purchased a new battery ($70), a DVD+/-RW ($100) for the front slide bay, and a new hard drive ($80).
Now, it's time to get it to auto-login and show movies.
On the good side, it shows Battlestar Galactica episodes.
So, for about $400, all told, we have a replacement TV. That's 8 months of cable. That's also a TV that we can fold up and put away, haul with us to the in-laws, use to store photos on car trips (and I ain't carrying that damned thing on no plane), surf the internet, and fry eggs.
I'd rather have an iBook. Well, maybe in a few years.