I agree. Make sure you get a good quality screen, which equates to more money. Try to get a 64bit system so you can get around 4gigs of Ram. Blue ray for dvd is about a 100 upgrade, not really worth it to me, but you might want it. And this is just me talking, but I have always been more of an Intel guy than an AMD guy. AMD is good, but I prefer buying Intel. AMD should save you some money though, if the budget is tight. Just make sure it is a Dual Core CPU.
Windows 7 Pro has an XP mode for older software. If that doesn't work, you can download this program.
VirtualBox
This will allow you to run just about any version of windows on your new machine. It is awesome and free. Just use our old OS disk and you should be able to install and get XP or 2000 up and running. Maybe even 98. I haven't tried anything that old, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I have always been partial to Dell, but ask anyone and they are just as bad as any of them on the market. Look for the best sell that has everything you want. Bluetooth on board the laptop is going to be hit or miss. I am guessing since you are looking at higher end laptops, it will probably have bluetooth. If not, just get a 20foot USB 2.0 cable and you can shoot tethered pretty well that way. My dell laptop has an SD slot built in, so I can just pop my card in and exam my pics pretty quick that way. I like it cause I don't have to bring a reader along with my laptop.
Once the sales are announced, maybe you can narrow down your selection and post again.