I'd suggest 2 laptops.
The first is the HP Pavilion dv-6z for $679. I think its comparable with:
Screen
15.6" (1366x168) HD
Processor
2.6 GHz AMD Phenom(TM) II Dual-Core Mobile Processor P650 (2.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
RAM
6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz
Storage
640 GB HDD 5400 RPM
It even has blu-ray.
The other is the HP Pavilion DV6-3153NR Notebook for $679, which is very similar as well. It certainly packs a punch too. Here are some specs:
Processor
2.6 GHz AMD Phenom(TM) II Dual-Core Mobile Processor P650
RAM
6 GB DDR3
Storage
640 GB HDD 5400 RPM
What do you think? I think these are great laptops that should be more than enough for you compared to the Sony.
Kevin
Windows Outreach Team