[mesamb1]

For the future, I am sure windows 8 will be certified by the next year of competition, and your classmate can back you up if you run into any unforeseen issues. For the hardware itself, stay away from Ultrabooks and Netbooks for a development computer. You never know if you will get another year with a cd for software installs, and the specs on traditional laptops will last your team longer. I am a fan of Lenovo because their frames let them take a beating(I love my team, but I have also seen them try to carry a laptop).