“When you’re online, you expose your vulnerability to malicious virus that have been growing in virulence and ferocity over the last few years. These program codes have gone beyond mere annoyances with the worst kinds disabling your PC, but they have become portals for remotely perpetuating more sinister activity that can clandestinely hack into sites, mount denial of services or steal confidential and personal data for fraudulent financial gain at your expense.

Are these virus serious enough to cause losses? Among home PC users, you may think having to reinstall your OS after a virus or malware has brought it down is not really expensive as you lose just a day or two to reinstall your programs and rebuilding files, consider that in a business, you could actually lose millions. Just ask ChoicePoint when it took a $6 million charge in 2005 after cyber criminals hacked into their systems and stole sensitive data from thousands of customers. Or the credit card processor CardSystems Solutions which may yet go out of business from major security breach at the company’s Tucson, Arizona, operations center.”

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“We pick out the best laptops to buy in 2014 with our round-up of the seven hottest models

If you’re searching for the perfect new laptop, then you’re probably looking for a helping hand.

With an ever-changing variety of touchscreen hybrids, multi-talented tablets, Ultrabooks and a whole host of standard laptops to choose from, we’ve selected our seven favourite models for 2014.

Asus Transformer Book T100

Fusing a 10.1in tablet with a docking keyboard, the Transformer Book T100 swaps the Android OS of its stablemates for full Windows 8.1 and puts Intel’s new Atom platform, Bay Trail, at the helm. Intel’s new quad-core Atom is twice as fast as the previous generation, and even has a little gaming power at its disposal. The T100 feels nothing like the netbooks of old.

The 1,366 x 768 IPS display isn’t the brightest out there, but it’s great for the money; the compact keyboard turns it into a usable netbook hybrid with nine hours of battery life; and there’s even a copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 thrown in for free. If ever there was a tech bargain to be had, the Asus Transformer Book T100 is it.”

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“Windows-based all-in-one PCs once earned little respect. While most of today’s AIOs still lack the graphics horsepower for hard-core gaming (we’ll show you one exception), the best models are far removed from the 98-pound weaklings of yore.

Many AIOs use laptop parts, which minimize heat, power consumption, and the need for noisy cooling fans. If you crave more performance, pick a model that uses desktop components (the ones we’ve tested are still relatively quiet). Either way, everything—the CPU, memory, storage, and optical drive—is housed in the same unit as the display, so the computer’s footprint equals that of a monitor. And since most all-in-ones ship with a Wi-Fi adapter as well as a wireless mouse and keyboard, the only cable they require is a power cord.

All-in-one specifications are a blend of what you’ll find in conventional desktop systems and laptop PCs. The thinnest and most compact systems are almost completely built around the same power-efficient technology as laptops.

Here’s our checklist of specs to look for when you go shopping for your all-in-one, followed by some tips and recommendations:”

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“You adore your laptop. It lets you get down to business wherever you happen to be—airport lounge, coffee shop, your home office. It’s the key to your competitive edge.

That is, until its battery croaks. Just as you’re putting the final details on your PowerPoint presentation. At the airport. Two hours before takeoff. And with no power outlet in sight. At that instant, you begin to wonder why you ever bought the ever-lovin’ boat anchor in the first place.

But love will bloom anew as soon as you recharge. Avoid the heartache, however temporary: Follow these five tips for maximizing your laptop’s run time.”

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“Laptops are replaced every few years. We crave fancier hardware, novel features, and maybe our old device has become unresponsive and suffered some damage over time. Consequently, most laptops get thrown out prematurely.

Unless you are looking for a silly excuse to buy a new and shiny device, you will love to hear that there are many ways to make your laptop last longer. Apart from delaying the headache of setting up a new computer and moving all your files over, this will also save you money in the long run. So let’s see what you can do to turn your laptop into an electronic Methuselah.”

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