The 15.6 inch Chronos packs a punch with the performance it provides, so whether you’re looking for something for the business user, hardcore gamer or just for recreational purposes this quality laptop could suit you.

With 8GB of memory and an impressive Intel Core i7 2675QM processor it delivers speed and performance, and also includes an AMD Radeon HD6750M graphics card to keep gamers happy. The Chronos resumes from sleep in just two seconds and boots up in an impressive 20 seconds, so if you’re on the go and need to get something done quickly, it could be ideal for you.

The screen has a resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels which is not enough to qualify as HD but gives you excellent clarity and makes your videos and pictures look great.

It’s packed full of storage and features. As well as a 750GB hard drive, it also includes a DVD drive (sadly, not a Blu-Ray drive), two USB 3.0 connections, a USB 2.0 connection, a multi-SD reader, an Ethernet port and a HDMI connection so you can hook it up to your TV.

The main negative aspects of the Chronos are more in the aesthetics rather than the performance. Unlike the MacBook Pro it’s made of aluminium and plastic, giving it less of a luxury feel. There are also some issues with the keyboard and trackpad area – the sharp edges can get uncomfortable on the wrists and the trackpad has built in buttons which some may find annoying (but there are enough USB ports to use a mouse with the device instead!)

On the whole, the Samsung Chronos includes enough features to stop it going out of date quickly and the superb performance and battery life make it a worthwhile investment.

However, Samsung have now come up with a new laptop ideal for gamers which will allow you to get rid of your bulky old desktop PC and still get the performance you need for running games.

The Series 7 Gamer has a 17.3 inch 3D HD screen, a Blu-ray drive, a 2 MP webcam and surround sound – so you don’t have to compromise on how you games look when using the laptop.

Inside it features a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and an AMD Radeon HD graphics card which has 2GB of GDDR5 graphic memory.

The laptop features a number of different modes which can be easily changed at the push of a button; Gaming Mode, Balanced Mode for everyday use, Library Mode to keep it quieter and Green Mode to get maximum battery life.

It also comes with various ports, including two USB 3.0 slots and two USB 2.0 slots, and is shipped with a set of 3D glasses.

The Series 7 Gamer is available in the UK now at a guide price of £1499.

Dubbed the Ultrabook by Intel, this new form of laptop could be a serious threat to Apple as it gives the functionality of a laptop combined with the weight benefits. These computers will be especially popular with business travellers, and could see the end of the line for the Netbook.

The first Windows based Ultrabook which has been announced is the Asus UX21. It’s very lightweight – 3mm at its thinnest point and just 7mm at its thickest, and has an 11.6” screen.

The UX21 is due to be released in September.

Acer, HP and Dell are also rumoured to be planning their own Ultrabook to try and take on Apple’s iPad and MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air was released last October, and to be perfectly honest everything that was ‘under the hood’ didn’t really do the laptop any justice whatsoever. Apple were forced to stay with the then ageing, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. Now though, they have got something that actually gives them a bit of a kick when it comes to speed and performance.

They are now stacked with the new Intel Core i5 and i7, meaning it will run a lot smoother and faster than its predecessor did with the old, slow Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. With the announcement of the new MacBook Air comes the announcement of the new OS for the MacBook series.

For any of you out there who are currently using the old OS that the Mac’s ran on then you will be glad to hear that the OS X Lion is now available for download if anyone fancies paying £20.99 for the new version. At the minute though as you may imagine it isn’t totally bug free and as we imagine there will be a patch to fix the bugs but at the minute, as has been pointed out by a few people who have had a bit of hands on time with the product have said that certain apps won’t work with the new OS and that if you have any outdated, hardware or software, or even if you’re using any non-Apple products then you should just check compatibility before you go to the app store and decide to buy a few things.

So there are pro’s and con’s where the new MacBook OS is concerned but at the minute the only con with the MacBook is the price. But all of you Mac fans out there already knew that it would be expensive didn’t you?

But an accident, whether it is on purpose or not, can be costly to amend especially if it is an accident with a laptop. Broken laptops can be expensive to fix or replace and as the following disasters indicate, sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry by taking out insurance.

Whatever kind of laptop you have whether it is notebook laptops or a netbook; take out laptop insurance today and cover yourself in case either of these catastrophes occurs. Calamity scenarios that cause hair-pulling rage and screaming-breakdowns include;

 - Violent outburst

We’ve all suffered the dreadful situation when the internet seems to be working at a snail pace, just when you are super busy and needing-to-know something ASAP. But clenching your fist and punching the laptop, or hurling it across the room to release your anger, will not solve the slow broadband rate and will only result in a broken laptop.

- Spilt drink

Juggling a laptop and a glass of liquid at the same time is probably not the wisest thing to do. A screen that is ruined by water will cost hundreds to repair, so when sipping your cup of coffee first thing in the morning and checking your work emails simultaneously- keep your laptop at a safe distance.

- Sitting down on the job

It sounds silly but it is possible to not acknowledge a laptop on the couch and to sit on it. Laptops can come in a variety of sizes and so they can be easily hidden under a sofa arm or blanket. Make sure you rest your laptop on a table or in a case when not in use, rather than just placed on a couch seat. Bodyweight alone can bend the case and ruin the screen.

- Beware of children

In a technologically advanced society, more and more kids these days are growing up alongside iPhones, iPads and iPods. But just because children are learning to use laptops from an early age, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they understand the importance or cost of a laptop.

Always assist your offspring when they’re using the laptop in case they press the keys in too hard or hit the screen by mistake. And believe us it is possible- not mentioning any names but one little monster sprayed a laptop with window cleaner because they thought they would help in the house cleaning!

Here our quick-fire guide to helping tell the difference between a word-worthy computer and a game-gaining mate.

Gaming:

• The laptop in question should have a superior high-end graphics card or GPU.
• It should also have a high performance powerful processor.
• It needs to have plenty of memory, including dedicated video RAM.
• It requires a large hard drive to store the games themselves.
• You’ll probably also need a large high-resolution display which, preferably, should be backed up with HD technologies such as Blu-ray.

These five laptops all fit the bill:

• Asus G71Gx-A2
• Toshiba Qosmi X505 – Q850
• MSI GT740
• Rock X790 (Clevo D900F)
• Alienware M17x (if money is no object!)

Photography:

Your best bet here might be an Apple Mac – the brand is renowned for its video editing and photography capabilities, and boasts tremendous colour rendition.

While Macs are tough, resilient creatures, when they do break down they often cost more to fix compared to PCs. That’s why gadget insurance is a must with any purchase.

PR3

Student/wordsmith/casual user:

Here, you’re looking for something cheap that can do exactly what you it to.

The top pick for specifications and price would have to be a Lenovo Ideapad G5600 – shop around and you’ll get this for £269 delivered. It comes with:

Processor: Intel Pentium P6200 2.13 GHz

RAM: 2GB in one slot (expandable to 8GB across 2)

Hard Drive: 320GB

Optical Drive: DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD)

Display: Widescreen 15.6″ HD TFT (Resolution 1366×768)

Graphics: Intel GMA HD (integrated)

Included Software: Windows 7 Home Premium

There is also a built-in webcam for chatting to friends on Skype, so while this laptop would suit the sociable surfer down to the ground, if this is someone who might develop into becoming more of an avid applications user they won’t need to upgrade.

No matter what you opt for, remember that prevention is better than cure. Hard drives on computers can last 30 minutes or 30 years, but laptop insurance – which through www.protectyourbubble.com can commence from only £3.99 per month – means that while your computer may crash, your finances won’t.

You will be covered against theft, accidental and liquid damage and breakdown. For more information visit www.protectyourbubble.com/li-laptop-insurance.

Produced by Samsung, the first version of the Chromebook to go on sale in the UK is a unique product as unlike a PC or a Mac, it doesn’t use a traditional operating system which takes time to load.

Instead everything is run through Google’s browser, Chrome, and the laptop boots up in just 8 seconds. Everything is store on the Cloud instead of on your computer, so if you lose your Chromebook or are without it, you can log onto another one and access all your files.

It only works with programs created by Google, which has positives and negatives. You can’t download viruses for example, but you also can’t install anything which isn’t in the Chrome Web Store. Although the store is quite extensive, it doesn’t feature everything so if you’re a Skype lover or an avid Spotify user, you’re out of luck for the time being.

However, it requires internet access for it to work. So if you’re out and about with it and find yourself in a location without Wi-Fi, you are unable to access any of your documents or files.

Some analysts think that the Chromebook might be a bit too ahead of its time as not everyone is completely comfortable with the idea of having their important documents stored somewhere other than their own private PC but as the technology behind it becomes more widespread this could see a significant shift in the way we use computers.

So, what are the main considerations you should make if you decide that you want insurance for your laptop?

• The first thing is likely to be the premium, which is the annual cost of the insurance policy. Premiums can vary significantly from provider to provider, with some being less cost-effective than others. Sometimes you are offered insurance when you purchase your laptop in the store, but you can also buy it independently, and it may make sense to shop around for the most suitable deal to ensure you are not spending more than you have to.

• Having said that, cheap gadget insurance may not always convert into the most suitable level of cover. Although you will normally want to purchase laptop insurance at the most cost-effective price possible, you should also try to find one that offers the most suitable level of cover.

• One thing you might consider looking into when you purchase laptop insurance is where you are covered for theft, damage and other events. Some insurance providers offer worldwide cover should you take your laptop on holiday. That means you will be covered in exactly the same way as you are in the UK, and you can take your laptop with you on holiday without worrying any more than at home.

• Another consideration which you might want to take into account is how quickly you can get a replacement laptop. For many people, even a few days without their laptops is close to a disaster. If it is particularly important that you get a replacement within 48 hours then it is worth looking for a gadget insurance policy which offers this.

• Whenever you buy any type of insurance, it is a good idea to pay attention to the excess charge. This is the amount that you have to pay when you make a claim, and it can vary from insurer to insurer. Some providers might allow you to alter the excess to change the premium, so make sure you know what the excess is and ask your provider if you have any questions about it.

These are a few of the most important considerations when you take out laptop insurance. There are others, such as the specifics of the cover and the events in which you will be able to make a claim, and it might be worth looking into these as well. Factors such as the excess and the location of cover can sometimes be overlooked, so it may be worthwhile paying special attention to these next time you are looking for insurance.

TV’s as everyone knows, do not work without a freeview box so people are having to shell out much more for freeview boxes, and also with them coming together with live pause and recording capabilities they’re becoming pretty expensive. Just one brand of freeview box, the Humax box, are known to be very expensive, and one particular box from these guys, you’re looking at spending upwards of £350 and one particular retail outlet has the Humax ICORD 320GB box on sale for £470! To be honest, that is absurd when you compare to the sky deals that are offered you may be paying about £30 – £40 per month for around 400 channels, when if you pay for a Humax box you are only going to be getting the freesat channels that everyone else receives. You may be saving yourself an absolute bomb.

Sky TV packages are very cost affective for you personally, and don’t damage your pocket that much either which is good. They are also very flexible so if you don’t want certain things like Movie channels or the children’s TV channels then you don’t have to agree to a deal that includes these particular channels.

If you quite like the sound of some of these deals, then why don’t you make contact with digital-tv-advice.co.uk and see what they have got to offer you and who knows, in a day or two you could be a happy chap with lots of television channels at your disposal.

Numerous companies give obligatory add-ons too, yet don’t display any additional charges. Figuring out what is required, what all broadband packages incorporate can help in saving a significant amount of your money, and consequently you’ll get cost-effective broadband which is speedy and reliable.

When deciding for a specific broadband connection, do not forget to check all the packages and broadband connections on the web to get cheap broadband and the best customer support aiding you whenever you want to. Broadband comparison really helps to obtain the best broadband deal providing fast, reliable and valuable services within your means.

Websites like Top10.com are updated daily with the current affordable residential and mobile broadband offers from the top UK broadband service providers.