I respectfully disagree, having had both in the past 18 months. While the Sony had superior graphic and picture quality, it was less than perfect for real business uses like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc.
My Sony was ok but I find my new Dell just, well...better. It's faster, smoother and just feels better when using regular MS programs. However, this just could be a XP vs. 2000 Professional issue too.
Bottom line: I loved my Sony but really love my Dell.