Technology. Not my strong point

I know it's only almost August, but I've begun to dwell on Christmas.
The giving part, not the getting.
Mom has been wanting an ipod of some sort for quite some time now, so Junia have decided to get her one for Christmas.
Wanting to get dad something equally cool, we've decided to just get him one as well.
Easy enough decision, and luckily we have plenty of time to figure out where/how/when to get them.
I've started scouring ebay, through the various decisions and choices.
I'm happy to announce that I've found some potentials.
Usually Junia and I do our own thing and get separate gifts for our parental units.
However, this gift will be costly enough that we decided to pool our finances and efforts.
I've also begun to figure out Josh's gift, or the main part at least.
Hizzah.
Although it may take some of the surprise out of Dec. 25th, Junia and I are both aware that mom is getting us laptops.
DOUBLE Hizzah.
This knowledge has sent both Ju and I on a new quest...
Trying to figure out what the heck we want in a laptop.
Ugh.
Not the most computer savvy, I'm going to rely on my more nerdy friends to help me figure out what I want/need.
Argh.
I actually searched Laptops on ebay and my brain exploded.
There are soooooooo many names, versions, numbers, whistles, gadgets, and gizmos!
AUGH!
Heeeeeeeeellllllp!