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Looking for a real bargain on laptop batteries? How do I know the batteries are running good as advertised? Which merchants are offering quality rechargeable cells? Where can I get the bargain? Where to buy?

Many of you have some of these questions? Certainly!!. We surely want to saving our hard to earn $$ and only buy quality cells.

Here are the simple 7 ways to to locate the real bargain.

1. Shop online Why?

Most of suppliers/distributors are now targetting retail consumers themselves. The online store overheads are much less than retail stores. No store leasing, No utitlity bills and much less employee payrolls. With all these, they can pass the big savings to customers. Importantly, they have the same guarantee and warranty as retail stores..plus…it’s convenient!!! Quailty merchants offer FREE shipping!!

2. Find the saving coupons

This is the beauty!!….”saving coupons”….Online marketting is highly competitive. They are million of stores out there. Merchants want to get noticed, they want sales…they issue saving coupons for marketting…….buying your laptop batteries using “online saving coupon” is double savings.

how to find?…here we go….

go to your favorite search engines “laptop battery coupon” as an example. you will find many coupons from many merchants…..now what…which one to buy?? ….let move to the next step.

3. Find the quality merchants (ONLY)

Now we found many merchants selling online and offering saving coupons. Let buy…?? Nope…not yet…..please make no mistake - buy from the cheapest possible stores is NOT a real bargain. We also want quality. laptop batteries need to meet or exceed the original battery specification. Merchants need to own the following qualities…

• Free shipping
• Free handling
• Free customer support
• Well established in battery industry
• 30 days return policy
• Full manufacturer warranty
• Guarantee to meet or exceed the original specification
• 100% fully compatible with your laptops
• Online FAQs for yor battery inquiries
• Optional express shipping How do we know?…..Let brainstorm!!!!…Let hear from others!!!….Review customer comments….Most quality merchants are listing their customer testimonials, customer ratings from 3rd party rating system such as BizRate, epinion,Pricegrabber or Dealtime.

You can normally locate the Bizrate reviews at the merchants’ homepages. Simply click on the links they provide to review previous customers’ comments.

Simply follow these 3 easy steps, you will find the real bargain comparing to local retail stores. Have a pleasant online shopping experience!!

A laptop computer certainly provides you with an unprecedented level of freedom and mobility away from the office. However there are a few extras you might want to bring along on your laptop travels:

Extra 1: portable printer

If you travel a lot, you never know when you might need to commit one of your digital documents to paper.

Sure, you can probably find a Kinko’s, or even the business center at your hotel, but the experienced business traveler knows you’re much better off when you’re not at someone else’s mercy.

Extra 2: USB hub

If you need to connect to several external devices simultaneously, the one or two USB ports on your laptop may or may not be sufficient. If not, keep an inexpensive four- port USB hub in your laptop case.

Extra 3: PC card token ring adapter

Ethernet is the industry standard for computer networking, however back in the 1970s IBM introduced a competing technology called Token Ring.

While Token Ring has all but faded from the mainstream, some hardcore IBM’ers still use it.

If you’re going to be working in such an environment, you’ll need a PC Card to connect to the network.

Extra 4: Foreign power kit

If you travel abroad, you’re bound to run into a wide variety of power schemes - power schemes that aren’t compatible with your laptop.

When you’re away from the homeland, you’ll need some sort of adapter/converter if you want to plug into a local wall outlet.

These are relatively inexpensive and can be easily found online.

Copyright (c) 2004 HowToBuyALaptop.com

As the proud owner of a laptop computer, you’ll want to keep your machine in the best possible condition.

Aside from cleaning your screen and dusting the keyboard, however, you’ll need to take a few extra steps to maintain your laptop’s health:

– Play it cool

A laptop computer generates a lot of heat, especially when running the latest high-powered software. Too much heat and you risk damaging the internal circuitry.

Always try to keep your laptop in a well-ventilated, cool environment. And ensure you don’t block the fan grills on the sides, back, or bottom of the machine at any time.

– Handle the screen carefully

Avoid touching or playing with your LCD screen.

Yes, it might be fun to watch the waves generated by your finger against the screen, but LCD displays are fragile devices that must be cared for.

Take care when cleaning the screen too, and use only approved cleaning materials.

You won’t want to pay the money for screen repairs or, even worse - a new machine entirely.

– Don’t drop it

Whatever you do, don’t drop your laptop computer! Keep it safe inside of a carrying case when moving around or traveling.

Don’t leave it on the edge of a table or on an unstable support of some kind. One ill fated drop to the floor could spell death for your mobile office.

Try to make sure the rubber feet underneath are in good condition and are still attached. This will prevent the device from sliding around accidentally.

– Be careful with those drinks…

If you need to have a drink while working or playing, be careful not to spill it.

Your laptop computer could suffer the consequences from just a few drops of liquid poured in the right places.

While

Small Can Be Beautiful

When purchasing a new computer, you may be better served by a laptop than a traditional desktop computer. Recently, laptops with capabilities similar to desktops can be purchased for a comparable price. Laptops are convenient because of their small size and ability to run from a battery. Except for the power cable to recharge it, a laptop doesn’t have any external wires, so it won’t be contributing to a cable mess.

When looking at laptops, consider how often you will travel with it. If you plan to travel only infrequently, get a model with a larger screen and lower price. If you are a digital nomad, you should be concerned mainly with the laptop size, weight, and battery life. For maximum portability, get a laptop that weighs less than 3.5 pounds, has a 12” or smaller display, and a minumum 4-hour battery life.

Unlike desktops, laptop computers can be difficult and expensive to upgrade. When you purchase a laptop, consider that any internal features such as CD-ROM or hard drive may be difficult to replace. Laptops can be upgraded externally with USB, FireWire, and the PC Card slot. Because each of these methods is external, however your laptop will become less portable if you need to carry around the external devices.

Take One Tablet…

A Tablet PC is a custom laptop that allows you to write on the screen to save notes and work with programs. Tablet PCs are typically smaller than laptops and feature a specialized processor that is extremely battery-efficient. Some Tablet PCs do not have a built-in keyboard, but can connect to an external keyboard. These are ideal for people who use the Tablet PC mode most of the time and need to use the keyboard occasionally.

If you have little need for a portable computer, a “desktop replacement” may be for you. A desktop replacement looks like a laptop, but is much larger and priced competitively with desktops. Whatever kind of laptop fits your lifestyle, gone are the days when laptops were expensive and less capable than traditional desktop computers.

I don’t know about you, but I see more people with PDAs on trains reading things on there instead of reading paperbacks, or newspapers.

Is this the future we are looking at?

Will newspapers of a morning be unobtainable anymore?

Will we get our daily news via the PDA?

Perhaps connected to a “Smartphone” for downloading the newspaper to the PDA?

Or will “Smartphones” take over the task of the PDA?

Will newsprint not be available in a few years time, also magazines at the bookstall?

Will public libraries not be a place you will go to and sit down and read? Or will they be a network hub with servers all over the place for people to instantly download, not only the daily newspaper, but any textbook, manual or book, straight onto their “Smartphone” and read things on the move?

The saving on paper and ink would be enormous, as would the manpower, distribution resources, bookbinding for we could all read digitally, future generations will not know what a paperback is or a newspaper, unless they get saved in museums.

The race has been on for some time to preserve our modern culture in digital form, all the classic story tellers who are now in the ‘public domain’ are being transposed into digital ebooks so future generations will be still able to read them. So many books have been ‘pulped’ in the paper mill it is still unknown how many authors works have been destroyed right to the last copy.

The race is on too, for the thousands of collectors of ‘first editions’ by popular authors, who scan every shelf at the second hand bookstore or market stall and even it seems, at the local Oxfam charity shops! The word is that the Oxfam charity in the UK took over thirteen million pounds sterling in the year 2003 just in old books donated to their stores. I find this totally incredible, but their figures don’t lie.

You’ve set up your Boingo account, you’re hanging out at the Home Turf sports bar in LAX and you figure you’ll do a little business or check your e-mail while sipping a Chardonnay. Well, that’s the point of Wi-Fi hotspots; being able to take care of a few things while in a relaxing atmosphere.

Don’t, however, get so relaxed that you ignore security and give all your confidential information to some unscrupulous hacker. Yeah, you see the guy. He’s over in the corner wearing that fake nose and glasses with the ridiculous Bozo the Clown cap. Yep, drinking a Blatz. Dead give away.

Sorry, they won’t be that obvious, I doubt they ever drink Blatz and very seldom wear clown caps. When you’re thinking back, trying to remember who was around when your password was stolen, you probably won’t remember the woman in the tastefully tailored business suit, and if, by chance, you do, she won’t be the one you suspect. The best defense is to implement some simple security practices and measures that will safeguard your business and personal information.

Hot Spot Security: Simple Stuff

Be aware of those around you.

When you’re considering Wi-Fi security in public places one of the first safeguards is anything but high tech. Remember a few years ago when people were getting huge phone bills because someone was watching as they keyed in pass codes? It’s still happening to Wi-Fi network subscribers. Do what you can to keep prying eyes from your keyboard and screen. You pay good money for your monthly subscription and there’s no reason to let anyone piggyback or steal your credit card number as you sign up for a daily use fee at Starbucks.

Speaking of passwords:

Those of us who toil and travel are prime targets for those who may be of the persuasion to purloin. In other words, it’s quite possible to be targeted for laptop theft. Use a complex password to protect your files, folders and laptop from access by those villains of concourse and lobby.

Don’t Share!

Yes, I know, mothers have been telling us to share for centuries but, at least while using a Wi-Fi hotspot, make sure you disable file sharing. It might be great for the home and good at the office but it’s disaster in the making at your favorite coffee house.

Use a Personal Firewall.

If you’re using a corporate laptop make sure you talk to your IT department before you install any firewalls but if the laptop you’re using is your own let me suggest downloading a copy of ZoneAlarm. There are others of course but, for personal use, since ZoneAlarm is free and seems to test better than the rest I can’t see a reason to recommend another.

Most of the reasons for using a firewall should be self-evident but, to say the least, you’ll want to be made aware of any traffic coming or going and any unusual communication between applications.

Hot Spot Security: Less Simple Stuff

Beware the Evil Twin

Otherwise known as ‘Rogue Hotspots’ or the ’soft AP attack’ this Wi-Fi version of the e-mail Phishing scam is perpetrated by hackers who jam and mimic the signal and SSID of a legitimate hotspot. They then serve up a sign-in page garnering usernames, passwords and, in some cases, credit card numbers. If they go so far as to allow a connection to the Internet they’re then in the position to intercept unencrypted traffic as well as any files open to sharing (Don’t Share!).

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from ‘Evil Twins’:

• Don’t set your Wi-Fi card to allow automatic connection to any available network.
• Check the list of available SSIDs to make sure you’re connecting to the right one.
• Turn off the ad-hoc mode allowing other clients to connect directly to you.
• Turn off your Wi-Fi card entirely as soon as you’re finished.
• Use the personal or enterprise version of ‘AirDefense’, whichever may be appropriate.
• Although a firewall won’t keep you from connecting to an ‘Evil Twin’ it will help to safeguard your information should you inadvertently fall victim.

Encrypt Confidential Information

Data that’s transmitted between yourself and a secure Web site can be counted on to be safe from the Starbucks Snidely Whiplash so when you’re purchasing goods, or banking on-line, you can do so without fear. When you’re logging onto the secure portion of the site, however, you may be doing so without the protection of security so be careful to note whether or not the sign in page is secured (https).

When sending e-mail there are a few things you can do to safeguard yourself. For example, instead of using Outlook or Thunderbird, take advantage of your ISP’s Web interface which, in most cases, will be secure and should protect your data during transmission.

If you frequently encounter the need to send large files via e-mail then using a compression program will meet your need to reduce the size of the file and most compression programs will also secure the data with encryption.

Another option is to use a free encryption program like Cryptainer LE. Cryptainer LE can encrypt any or all the files stored on your hard drive, protecting them in case your laptop is stolen or compromised, as well as allow you to e-mail them with the security of encryption. Cryptainer PE is also offered for enterprise applications.

Use a Virtual Private Network

Think of a virtual private network (VPN) as a solid conduit, or tunnel, between your laptop and your company’s network. By using a VPN your communications will be as secure as they would be if you were sitting at your desk.

Mac OS X™, Windows™ 2000 and Windows™ XP have built in VPN clients and if you’re a user of Windows™ 98, ME or NT you can download the free Microsoft® L2TP/IPSec VPN Client from Microsoft®. If you’re a Linux user you can download the free S/WAN VPN client.

While the use of a VPN is one of the best ways to protect your confidential data when you’re using a Wi-Fi hotspot it is, unfortunately, limited to communication between your laptop and your company’s server. If you want to conduct personal business with similar security levels the best solution may be the award winning GoToMyPC software.

Use Anti-Virus Software

It’s somewhat surprising that so many people are aware of the dangers of ‘net borne viruses and, yet, so many either fail to incorporate anti-virus programs like McAfee & Norton or fail to keep them up to date. When you’re using a public hotspot it’s more important than ever to have anti virus software installed.

Once you’ve got the software up and running make sure that it’s updated on a regular basis and update it anytime you hear about a new virus or a new version of an old virus. If you’ve got an auto-update feature built into your program make sure you take advantage of it.

Conclusion

By following these security measures you should be able to enjoy, with the confidence that your private information will remain private, your favorite Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.

‘TANSTAAFL’, the acronym for ‘There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch’, may be familiar to those of you who have taken a college economics class or two. Whenever you hear the word ‘Free’ in association with a product or service it’s a good idea to keep it in mind because, in truth, nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, somehow, is bearing an economic cost; and so it is with free Wi-Fi hotspots. For the most part any of the free Wi-Fi hotspots you’ll come across will have some sort of quid pro quo associated with them.

If you go to a McDonalds, for example, you can get a bit of free Wi-Fi with the purchase of a meal, if you go to Panera Bread or Port City Java, although not explicitly stated, it’s implied that you’re expected, as you should be, to buy something for the privilege of taking up table space while surfing the ‘net’.

Along with businesses several Municipal and International Airport Authorities, as well as a growing number of airline club lounges, are providing free Wi-Fi in an effort to sway travellers, who may have a choice between several carriers or nearby airports, to choose them. Similarly, more and more hotels are offering free Wi-Fi for their guests so, while the Wi-Fi hotspot may be advertised as free, it’s cost is rolled into the room rate or expensed to advertising.

There are a few venues in which, although funding may come through taxation of some sort, no direct user cost is associated. An increasing number of public libraries, for example, are offering free Wi-Fi and, amid increasing controversy, several towns and cities have either set up free Wi-Fi Hotzones or they’re exploring the possibilities.

Finding these free Wi-Fi hotspots is not that difficult. JiWire.com sponsors the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory and some Wi-Fi aggregators, like GoRemote, are beginning to include the listings of free hotspots in their directories.

When you’re accessing a free Wi-Fi hotspot there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Don’t expect much tech help. The waiters, waitresses or baristas may have some working knowledge but, don’t count on it, that’s not why they’re there.
• Don’t overstay your welcome. If there’s a line of people trying to find a seat and you’ve been nursing a latte for two hours you, and others like you, may be contributing to the venue owner’s growing desire to start charging a hefty fee for the Wi-Fi access they provide.
• Make sure you follow good Wi-Fi Hotspot Security practices.

So, while free may not be entirely free, it’s definitely reasonable. With a bit of planning you should be able to save yourself a few dollars a month while enjoying the ambiance of your favorite free Wi-Fi hotspot.

Hundreds of thousands of laptop computers are stolen every year, yet only a tiny percentage of those laptops are ever recovered! Most notebooks are swiped when they are left unattended in offices, hotel conference rooms, taxi cabs, and public places such as airports and restaurants.

When your laptop is sold on the street, valuable data is lost with it. Sometimes the data, not the computer, is the real target. A devious thief with access to personal details stored on your laptop’s hard drive such as, name, address, date of birth, bank details, and social security number, could wreak havoc with your personal finances and credit rating.

There have been many high profile victims of laptop theft. Recently a laptop computer was stolen from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s press secretary, Margita Thompson. Access to confidential political data may have been the prominent motive behind the theft of this notebook.

Protecting your laptop computer

Recently IBM has created a fingerprint reader for select Thinkpad T42 models, that could well be the future of laptop security. The fingerprint reader creates a biometric layer of security almost impossible to breach, but what about the rest of us with older notebooks?

Below you’ll find 4 useful ways to protect your laptop computer.

Laptop cable locks

Cable locks should deter the casual pilferer. Many laptops are equipped with a Universal Security Slot (USS) that allows the notebook to be attached to a cable lock. They can be purchased cheaply at office supply outlets and computer stores.

Engraving your laptop computer

Permanently engraving your precious notebook may seem like a drastic measure, but marking the outer case of the laptop with your phone number and address, may deter thieves and, if stolen, increase the chance of having the laptop returned to you.

Laptop motion detectors

Equipping your notebook with a motion detector alarm that sets of a loud noise if it is moved. Such an alarm might cause a thief to discard the laptop. An interesting variation is a small radio transmitter that triggers an alarm when a notebook moves more than 10-20 feet away from a receiver kept in your purse, wallet or pocket. Such an alarm would certainly alert the thousands of people a year who simply leave their laptops in taxis.

Laptop tracking

Stolen laptops can be electronically traced using a software tracking code installed inside the laptop’s hard drive. Tracing programs, such as Cyberangel work when the laptop connects to the Internet and secretly reports the location of the laptop. Computrace Personal offers a similar service through a three year contract and agrees to pay up to $1000 if your notebook computer is not recovered in thirty days. Ztrace is a company offering an interesting twist to laptop tracking. They offer a facility to remotely delete or encrypt sensitive files on your laptop after it is stolen.

The portability of laptop computers is both a boon to busy executives and to laptop thieves. Learning to secure your notebook will thwart their efforts and keep your laptop and precious data safe!

Do you have a group of colleagues you regularly join with to work on a project? Or are you a freelance contractor who has lots of projects with various clients or prime contractors? If yes, then you likely know the nightmare that is involved in reporting and approving time worked.

For these people, time literally is money. They provide a service in exchange for an hourly rate. Therefore, they track their time and report it to a manager, administrator, client, or someone else who approves the work they did so they can get paid and so the approving party knows the work was done. You know the type. They are the growing legion of contingent workers who are only in one place for a short time and then off to the next opportunity.

These folks deal with the reporting problem daily because they don’t have an easy way facilitate that communication. This is a problem the Web was born to solve.

Email is a great example of how the Web empowers people in business to get things done. It’s cheap, effective and lets you communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere. It works so well because we all accept, that in business, communication does not stop within the walls of one business or one building. The true nature of business is that people collaborate with others who are often times not their co-workers.

If everyone worked for the same company, then this problem would not exist. But they don’t, so everyday millions of emails with spreadsheets attached are sent around in an effort to report time. But what about tracking where those emails are, or approving each time report, or aggregating reports across a project? That is where email becomes just email.

The promise of Web 2.0 is to take the concept of email, where everyone is their own account and can communicate with anyone else, and add one key component - COLLABORATION. By doing so, each person stays up to date with their information, like a social network, connecting to form trusted relationships where appropriate data is shared. Each of these relationships are unique and should only see the data that is appropriate for that relationship. For example, I have a project and invite two colleagues to join me, and the client wants to approve all time submitted prior to payment. I simply invite my colleagues to my project as “workers” and the client as that project’s “client”. Since I am the “manager” of the project, I have the “workers” submit time to me and the “client”. I should see all billing and cost info but the client should only see the billing info. I approve and the client approves and everyone is in sync. Both workers never see the other ones data, but everyone gets what they need. This would not be possible without the Net and should be how Web 2.0 is implemented.

We should expect to see many Web 2.0 or Enterprise 2.0 apps that solve similar distributed collaboration problems. A simple rule of thumb is that if you’re doing it with email and attachments, Web 2.0 and the Net could probably do the job better. And it’s my belief that world of freelance workers will be the triggering force for many more of these apps.

Attack on Computer systems has grown into an alarming proportion and as such every computer system owner/user as well as internet users must become knowledgeable in methods and means of safeguarding their computer systems from spyware threats, viruses and personal identity hijackers when connected to the internet. There is a part for you to play in this security issue. Learn HOW..

Spyware protection and prevention will be second nature to your computer system/internet usage by the time you are done with all there is to learn and consider in this exciting and interesting bundle of information.

Here we are again in our learning quest in exposing spyware types, attacks, threats, diagnosis, correction and prevention as we go on to consider the different forms of spy attacks on computer systems.

SPYWARE FORMS AND TYPES
1. COOKIES: Tokens placed on your computer system to link up with vendors of application/ softwares

2. ADWARE: Software that displays advertisements on your computer system ‘or pop-ups’ resulting in denial of service. This is a situation where you are unable to access a website because of flooding with annoying pop-ups

3. MALWARE: Software that causes your computer system to malfunction. It interacts with your computer system hardware deleting files/ cause your computer system monitor to operate above its legitimate REFRESH RATE

4. VIRUSES: Software that replicates itself from one computer system to another and can erase data on your computer

5. TROJANS: Backdoor viruses which get in through open ports on your computer network connection and affects (changes/ installs/ deletes) network programs on your computer hard drive

6. SPAMS: Unsolicited junk and annoying e-mail sent to your computer system to place a cookie which opens your computer to HACKERS’ software which causes your computer system to malfunction

7. SPYWARE: Software that steals your sensitive and personal information, then sends it to a third party without your knowledge, consent and/ or approval

With these, you are on a better platform in understanding computer system spywares and viruses as applies to protection of computer systems in whole.