You can create a checklist depending on your requirements. Basic checklist can include
* Intel Processor - Check for the latest intel processor or atleast dual core processor with approx 2 GHz speed
* HD Capacity - Depending on your purpose, you can choose you RAM to be 1 GB t0 4 GB
* Looks, Battery, Weight (depends and optional) - these can be chosen based on your preference
* Good speakers and web cam - if you are buying a laptop for home mainly to watch movies and listen to songs, you would definitely prefer good speaker quality (web cam can be optional depending on your purpose)
* Free accessories or discounts - Nowadays, there are various free accessories available like optical mouse, tata photon+, bagpack. You can check on them
* Warranty
You can go around in different outlets with your checklist and check the laptop ranges available with your criteria. Once you have got a list of few laptops, you can choose the final one.