Teenager's Needs

Teens have very minimal needs in using a laptop. All that is usually used is word processing, Internet browsing, and the occasional Microsoft publisher and PowerPoint. Video editing, audio editing, photo editing, and other high-end programs are going to be rarely used, if ever. All that the teen's computer will really need will be wireless access so that Internet will be available in many places instead of just at home. A high-end processor and lots of RAM (memory) won't be necessary.

Teenager's Responsibility

If the teen is very responsible and takes good care of his previously owned things, you would obviously be willing to spend a little more money on him/her. However, if the teen had heavy abuse on previous things, a cheap computer would always be preferential.

Recommended Computers

1. Macbook- Fairly cheap, with many neat and useful features exclusive to mac os x, and also easy to learn. Safe from many viruses and crashes, so homework won't be lost. Priced at $1099.
2. IBM Thinkpad T43 - Features Windows XP, Microsoft's best-working operating system. Much cheaper than Macbook. Slightly big if portability is important. Priced at $419 (Amazon shows price at $1499, but if you go to the website, its listed as $419)
3. Toshiba Satellite - Currently priced at $699. Has built-in wireless and features Vista. Higher performance compared to the IBM Thinkpad.

If price is extremely important to you, or if your teenager is opt to losing/breaking things, I would go with the Thinkpad. If price is still important, but you want to have better performance, go with the Gateway. Finally, if you are less concerned with price but want ease of use, safety, lack of viruses and bugs, and much higher performance, go with the MacBook.