You’ve laid out good money for your laptop computer, but you’re not done spending just yet.

There are a few more laptop accessories you may want to consider to make the package complete.

1: Laptop Case / Bag

As the newest member of the mobile computing force, you’re required to take an oath of safe computing.

And that starts with investing in the most important of laptop accessories - a laptop bag. You can’t very well go traipsing around the world with your laptop exposed to the elements.

When it comes to laptop bags, you can spend $25 for a small case made from less expensive materials on up to several hundred dollars for one made of top-grain cowhide.

However, in the end, the most important consideration is whether your case can hold your laptop, plus all the other goodies that go with it (like the ones described here).

2: Software

Did your laptop come with software? If so, did it come with the right software - the software you actually need to perform whatever tasks you need to perform?

Don’t just assume you have everything you need. You’ll probably need to add some software, as well as go online to update the software that was included.

3: A Real USB Mouse

Trackpads and eraser nubs that fill an obvious need. However, given the option, most people would rather user a real mouse.

If you stop and think for a moment, you’re likely to realize that many places where you’ll be computing actually are suitable for a real mouse.

So one of the most useful laptop accessories you can buy is a USB mouse, keep it in your bag, and use it whenever you’re able.

4: A Cat5 Ethernet Cable

Your built-in Ethernet port won’t do you much good if you get to your hotel room, discover an Ethernet connection, and don’t have a cable. Some hotels provide them; others don’t. Always come prepared with the right cable.

5: A Standard Telephone Cable

The same holds true for your modem connection. If you don’t have a cable to get you from your computer to the phone jack, you’re not going anywhere in cyberspace.

6: Disposable Cleansing Cloths

Over time, the display on your laptop is going to get dusty, or even smudgy. You’re playing Russian roulette with your laptop if you attempt to clean your display with paper towels and spray cleaners.

Instead, use disposable cleansing cloths. These essential laptop accessories are designed specifically to clean laptop displays. Always have a stash on hand.

7: USB Drive

A USB drive is a storage device about the size of your thumb that plugs directly into a USB port.

Capacity-wise, they’re relatively small - usually well under 100 MB. However, they’re very useful for moving files quickly and easily from one computer to another, e.g., moving a PowerPoint presentation from your laptop to your business associate’s laptop.

A USB drive also makes a great temporary backup medium for the really important files you create on the road.

8: Blank CD-R Discs

You’ve just finished your big sales presentation. Someone from the audience approaches you afterward and asks for a copy of the presentation.

You’ll make a better impression if you:

a) ask the person for their email address and tell them you’ll email the presentation later

b) ask for their physical address and tell them you’ll mail a CD later

c) burn them a CD of the presentation on the spot.

In case you didn’t figure it out, the answer is c. Always be prepared with these inexpensive laptop accessories.

9: Stereo Headset

It’s great to be able to watch DVD movies no matter where you are. Imagine watching your favorite flick at 30,000 feet.

There’s just one problem.

The family in the row behind you has absolutely no interest in hearing the dialog from Pulp Fiction.

Do yourself and everyone around you a favor. When you’re watching movies or listening to music in public, use your headphones.

10: Security Device

Laptop security devices come in many shapes and sizes.

For example, most laptops include a security dock that allows you to attach your laptop to some immovable object via cable, much like you’d lock up your bicycle outside the grocery store.

About The Author

Thinking of buying a laptop computer? ‘How To Buy A Laptop’ is the definitive online guide that will teach you everything you need to know. Don’t buy the wrong machine! Check out ==> http://HowToBuyALaptop.com

It might be more fun to talk about those free online business cards that are saving the company money, or those nifty designer business checks that are helping to solidif your branding efforts at the next staff meeting, but what really should be rolling off your lips are the words "business continuity and disaster recovery planning". Nothing is more important to a company than having a comprehensive recoveery plan in place prior to when disaster strikes. The framework for disaster recovery and business continuity planning will be different for every company. But every company needs to have a plan.

If you are unsure of your company’s plan, or if you think there might not even be one, it’s certainly time to ask. If a comprehensive plan is not available, it’s time everyone rolls up their sleeves and creates one. For the businesses continuity planning to be effective everyone in every department should become part of the process. The left hand should know what the right hand is doing. A disaster recovery planner can be very helpful in these meetings. If one is not available, disaster recovery software can be readily found on the internet to guide you through the process.

Once plans for business continuity and disaster recovery have been made, the entire company needs to be educated as to what to do in the event of a disaster. Knowing what to do in the midst of the disaster as well as the days following the disaster can be invaluable. Ask any company that has experienced a disaster, and they will all tell you that disaster recovery planning is vital to maintaining business continuity when the unexpected happens. It could be a tornado, or a virus attacking your database. Whatever the disaster, having a plan prevents chaos. It is worth the time and effort it takes to implement. The consequences are clear… Fail to plan and your plan to fail!

Renee Rich is a success entrepreneur and freelance writer offering guidance and suggestions for small to mid-sized businesses concerned with business continuity, time management, strategic internet marketing, business & money. Her many articles on these topics can be found at http://www.business-continuity-4u.com. She gives information and tips to help grow your business, save money, manage your time, and make informed buying decisions. Learn more at: http://www.business-continuity-4u.com/Time_Management.htm

Free cellular phone offers.

You can definitely find a free cellular phone by looking through the promotions offered by various phone companies. Usually you will have to sign a one or two year contract in order to receive the free cellular phone. But this contract may not be a bad thing if the cellular phone company provides good quality services and offers great plans. Look for other advantages like free night and weekend minutes or additional services like SMS text messaging, voice messages, call waiting, or others.

Selecting your free cellular phone.

After you have selected the company whose services you would like to use and selected a cellular service plan, you need to try to pick the best free cellular phone offered by your service provider. Look through all the free phones offered and research their qualities: size, design, weight, features, additions like a camera, etc.

Warranty for your free cellular phone.

After you have selected your free cellular phone, make sure that you sign up for the warranty plan for you cellular phone. Yes, you have probably signed up for a great offer and saved a lot of money, but many of these benefits would be lost if your phones brakes. That is where the benefit of the warranty plan comes in. You will get your free cellular phone replaced with the new one at no charge.

Hidden charges with your free cellular phone.

Be careful and watch for hidden charges when you are getting a free cellular phone. There are many great offers without hidden charges but some offers can have hidden charges associated with them. Look carefully through the contract and make sure everything is correct.

Visit http://www.camera-cell-phones-2u.com

Heading off on vacation soon?

Then perhaps you’re tempted to take your trusty laptop along for the trip.

After all, you bought it for its mobility, and it’s nice to stay in touch via email with your family and friends back home.

However, just before you start packing, its pays to consider the downside of traveling with a laptop, particularly if you’re planning to go abroad:

1. Weight

A laptop (plus accessories) starts to feel heavy very quickly. And who really needs MORE luggage to carry around?

2. Security risk

To you, it’s a laptop computer. To a thief, it’s a bag of easy money. (About $1000). And that bag is something you have to guard every second of your vacation.

3. Power supply problems

You’ll need a different power adaptor plug for each country you visit. And depending on your laptop power supply cable, you may also need a step-up / step-down voltage transformer.

4. Connection complications

You’ll need to find a way of connecting to the Internet. If your laptop is suitably equipped and you can find a local hotspot, you can take advantage of wireless Internet access.

Otherwise you’re stuck with dial-up modem access, which means a choice between:

- using your existing ISP’s local call number in the country you’re visiting (provided your ISP has a local number! AOL and Compuserve generally do.)

- making a long-distance telephone call to your regular dial-up number back home

- signing up with a local ISP (rarely practical in the short-term)

5. Telephone socket trouble

Different countries have different types of telephone socket. If you’re planning on connecting via dial-up access, you’ll have to bring a suitable telephone adaptor plug.

You’ll also need a digital signal tester to test for higher- voltage digital telephones lines. Otherwise you could end up frying your modem and possibly the motherboard too.

6. Extra insurance cover

It’s highly unlikely your travel insurance policy extends to laptop computers. You’ll therefore need to arrange separate specialist insurance cover, which isn’t cheap.

7. You’re on holiday!

Do you really want your office with you on vacation? Aren’t you supposed to be getting away from it all?

If you’re beginning to think that traveling with a laptop computer is a major logistical exercise, then you’re right. (Just ask any “road warrior”!)

However, there IS an alternative:

An Internet Cafe.

Almost every city and large town now has several Internet cafes. To locate one when you’re abroad, just ask your hotel receptionist or a friendly taxi driver.

You’ll also find Internet cafes in airports, railway stations, major hotels, business centers, public libraries, and even onboard cruise ships.

Before you leave on your travels, simply ensure you can access your email via a web browser. (This is known as “webmail”. Most ISPs offer this option automatically - just ask them if you’re unsure.)

Alternatively, set up a free webmail address (at hotmail.com or yahoo.com) for the duration of your trip and give it to anyone who might need to contact you.

With webmail set up, all you have to worry about is remembering your email login and password. Everything else - hardware, connectivity, security - is somebody else’s problem.

To summarize:

Unless you have a very good reason for taking your laptop on holiday, you’d be wise to leave the darn thing at home and use an Internet cafe instead.

And who knows - maybe your laptop could use a vacation from you!

About The Author

Steve Robson is a successful technical author and contributor to http://HowToBuyALaptop.com - For advice on how to buy a cheap laptop, visit: http://howtobuyalaptop.com/cheap-laptops.htm

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!!

About The Author

Jim publishes the laptop battery resource including tips, knowledge and information on cusomter reviews and merchant raintgs @ http://www.laptop-battery-resource.com Join the newsletter - subscribe today http://www.laptop-battery-resource.com/laptop-battery-newsletter.html

support@laptop-battery-resource.com

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems do not operate on secure lines, thus providing a conduit for hackers to enter a network or computer, access personal and confidential information, as well as deploy viruses or worms. Users of P2P systems are prime targets and/or launching points for malicious hacker attacks simply because it requires downloading and sharing electronic files or programs, not to mention usage on publicly open and interpretable industry standard protocols and industry standard codec.

A Staff Report submitted by the Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives (May 2003), entitled "File-Sharing Programs and Peer-to-Peer Networks ? Privacy and Security Risks", stated that users of these programs have inadvertently made their personal information available to other users. "A search of one P2P network found at least 2,500 Microsoft Money backup files, which stores the users’ personal financial records, available for download."

Personal information includes tax returns containing you name, address, and social security numbers of not only you, but your spouse and dependents, financial information such as income and investments, medical records, business files such as contracts and personnel evaluations, and attorney-client communications, to name a few.

Spyware and adware programs are frequently bundled into P2P file-sharing software. These programs collect personal information for marketers and provide access to your computer by malicious hackers. In an article located on Vnunet.com entitled "Users Fume at Grokster ‘Drive-by Download’", these two programs "?can redirect a user’s homepage to a different website, install a new browser toolbar, insert entries into the users’ browser bookmark list, reinstall itself after uninstallation, and ultimately crash a user’s system."

Another grave concern for both individuals and businesses when using P2P software is unknowingly having your computer used as a supernode. A supernode occurs when your computer is arbitrarily assigned as a hub.

When you are running the software for P2P services, your computer’s disk space, bandwidth, and processing power are used to help other users on the same system operate their software more efficiently because of their own network or firewall constraints.

Not only can this overload systems or networks with excessive data, disk space, and network bandwidth, unscrupulous hackers can also insert arbitrary code in each supernode’s address space or crash all supernodes.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems such as Skype operate by taking bandwidth (information carrying capacity) from customers on their service to assist other customers using their service - analogous to a symbiotic relationship. The tools that enable them to accomplish this are bundled in the software their customers download to access their VoIP service.

The above information is an excerpt taken from an in-depth and exclusive Report entitled "Why Hackers Love Computer Phones ? A Shocking Report You Must Read!" by Dee Scrip available only at http://www.whypay4calls.com/gtp/to.pl?l=ART-02

Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is perfect, and sometimes you may lose your connection or experience a weak signal. There are many factors that impact the reliability of your wireless connection.

For example, if your wireless adapter is too close to a 2.4 GHz wireless telephone, you may notice a decrease in your computer’s wireless single strength. Why? Because the phone and the computer reside on the same frequency and can interfere with each other’s performance.

Handy Repair Checklist for Wireless Interruptions

1. First check to see if your cable or DSL is actually working. Usually located in your basement, most modems have four lights. You have a live Internet connection if the "data" or "status" light is on. If it’s off, or flashing, your cable is out.

2. If your cable/DSL is working, then reboot your computer. Sometimes, if your cable/DSL goes out for even 10 seconds, your computer and the wireless router may no longer be able to talk to each other. By rebooting your computer, a new IP address is assigned, allowing them to once again communicate.

3. If your desktop is wireless and you’ve moved the wireless adapter [the box that sits next to the computer with antennas], then you may need to move the adapter until you find a stronger signal.

About The Author

Sharron Senter is co-founder of http://www.VisitingGeeks.com - an on site computer repair, security and networking company serving north of Boston, Southern NH and Maine. Visiting Geeks’ technicians are crackerjacks at squashing viruses, popups and securing and making computers perform faster. Learn more about Sharron at http://www.SharronSenter.com

Free camera with cell phone - excellent deal.

Getting a free camera with cell phone is an excellent deal. Especially nowadays when camera cell phones are getting less and less expensive. You can get your free camera with cell phone once you look through all the promotions offered by cellular phone service providers like AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, and others. You can at least get a good discount on your purchase. Even though you might have to sign up for a one or two year contract, it is still an excellent deal.

Free camera with cell phone - pick the best one.

When you are looking for a free camera with cell phone, make sure to check all the features of both the camera and the cellular phone, so you can pick the best one available. The camera should be excellent quality. You should be able to store large number of pictures. Also other good features include the ability to send or email you pictures to somebody’s phone or email, or the ability to store the pictures as wallpaper.

Free camera with cell phone - save money.

The camera cell phone has many benefits when you purchase one for full price, but when you are getting a free camera with cell phone, that will make you even happier. You are saving money not only on purchase of the regular camera but also on the cell phone camera itself. And with the right cellular service plan and right cellular phone services you are definitely a winner.

Free camera with cell phone - enjoy.

With your free camera with cell phone you can take picture anywhere and anytime. If you want to store something as a memory, your camera cell phone is probably always with you. Just take it out and you are ready. One click of a button and you can send the picture to your friends or family.

Visit http://www.camera-cell-phones-2u.com

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!

Most home computer users don’t need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CD-RW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.

Togeder with documents and pictures, it’s a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails. Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after they lose data.

This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a backup function ) This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express. If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.

The easiest way to find out exactly where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.

After locating the email folder, you can simply select all the files and press Ctrl-C. Then open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press Ctrl-V.

To backup the Address Book, you can follow these steps:

• Select Tools | Address Book… from the menu in Outlook Express.
• Choose File | Export | Other Address Book… from the address book’s menu.
• Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) as the export format.
• Click Export.
• Select the location you want to export your address book to using the Browse… button.
• Give your backup copy a meaningful name.
• Click Next.
• Select the fields you want to include in your backup.
• Finally, select Finish.
• Click OK.
• Click Close to end the process (successfully, I hope).

Additionally, there are several email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier. Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email information ( signatures, blocked list, etc ) which otherwise would be more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 20-30 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are ofcourse, free.

The conclusion is that either manual or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer user that would regret losing them.

A trial copy of Outlook Express Backup Genie can be found at: http://www.amicutilities.com/outlook-express-backup/

About The Author

Alexandru Marias; alex@amicgames.com

This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy

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

About The Author

The author, computer journalist John San Filippo, has created the definitive guide for buying a laptop computer and mobile accessories. Visit the site at: http://HowToBuyALaptop.com