Stay Powered Up Longer with These Long-Lasting Laptops

If you have a laptop that performs well, it still isn't very useful if it doesn't last that long. Business professionals that are always on the road know the value of a laptop that doesn't need to constantly be plugged in. There are a few laptops that have great battery life, and if you do any traveling you will want to check them out. Here is a list of a few laptops that won't let you down in the battery department.

Dell XPS 13

This is a great Ultrabook all the way around. It has the worlds smallest bezel so it can fit a 13-inch display into an 11-inch, 2.6 pound chassis. It also has enough battery life to last about 12 hours with continuous Wi-FI usage. It has a Core i5 processor, 128GB SSD storage and 8GB of RAM. It has a backlit keyboard and a really nice touchpad, so not only does it last a long time, but it performs very well and has very nice features.

Asus Zenbook UX305

This notebook is a really great value, especially when it comes to laptops with long lasting batteries. It lasts 9.5 hours on a full charge, has an Intel Core M CPU, 256GB of SSD storage, and it is only half an inch thick. It doesn't have the flashy backlit keyboard that some other models have, but for the price and performance you really can't complain about the little things.

HP Spectre x360 13t

This laptop has an amazing 13 inch 1920 x 1080 display and still manages to have a battery life of 9 and a half hours. This one has a lot of cool features, as it is able to be in laptop mode, tablet mode, or even tent mode to make it easy to watch movies or YouTube videos. It has a 5th generation Intel Core processor, 256GB of SSD storagge, and it has a sleek aluminum body that just looks great.

Lenovo ThinkPad X240

The ThinkPad series is the ultimate in productivity and portability. You can get up to 8 hours out of the battery, and if you upgrade to the 6 cell battery you can get up to a staggering 20 and a half hours out of this bad boy. There really isn't much else to say. 20 plus hours of life in a notebook that performs just as well as any other. What else do you want?

Lenovo ThinkPad T440s

This is a fantastic business notebook. It has a 4th generation Intel Core processor, a beautiful display, and the battery life to power all of it. With the 3 cell battery you can get about 7 hours out of it, and if you upgrade the battery you can get up to 14 and a half hours. Another cool thing is that it has an additional 3 cell battery inside of it, so when one battery is about to die you can just switch to the other fully charged battery without even turning your device off. Convenience at its finest.

Like I said before, business professionals that travel often know the merits of a laptop with a long-lasting battery. Being able to stay powered-on wirelessly for extended periods of time is one of the key factors that a lot of people look for in a new laptop so if that's one of the key selling points for you then these 5 laptops are sure to grab your attention.

Do Apple's "Limitations" Lead You To Other Competitors, Or Does It Even Matter?

If you turn on the TV right now, odds are that you're going to see a commercial at some point about another tech company bashing Apple products. Shots fired. Microsoft is clearly throwing blows at Apple with some of their recent product likes. If you've seen anything involving the Surface Pro 3, the ever-popular tablet-laptop hybrid, you've more than likely seen it taking shots at Apples Macbook and iPad. Apple might not be having the best year in terms of tablets or laptops, and the competition isn't holding back on the ammo they have. Even Microsoft's Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro has its own commercial throwing punches at the Macbook Air. These commercials can be pretty funny to those techies out there (such as yours truly) that know about the devices and brands, but others might actually feed into the commercials. But, that's the point right?

Are you feeding into the hype/lack-there-of? Should you be feeding into it, or not feeding into it?

Is Apple Really "Limited"?
There seems to be some sort of notion that Apple is limited because their products can't "do" as much as products from competitors. Apples Macbook can't bend the way that Microsoft's Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro can, this is completely true. The Yoga and bend to "tent" mode and to "tablet" mode. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, I'm not looking for a computer that can do gymnastics. I'm looking for a computer that can perform the tasks that I need it to perform, and run the software that I need it to run. Not to mention the new Yoga Pro 3 is starting at $1,300, where as the Macbook Air is $400 cheaper on it's starting price. Unless the competing products actually have better inner workings to perform better, are you actually getting a better product? I guess that would all just be a matter of opinion at that point.

Opinions Do Matter
Everyone has their own opinion on what their favorite products are or what their favorite brand is. There is nothing wrong with this. The deciding factor doesn't need to be based off of how far back your screen can bend or if you can stick a keyboard onto your tablet. The deciding factor should be what you're going to be using the device for the most. Are you going to be performing functions that would be better suited for a laptop? Then get the most powerful laptop that you can. You're only as fast as your computer after all. Maybe your duties would work better with a tablet. Should that be the case, then just get the best tablet on the market. All of these other "gimmicks" are nice, but would the novelty where off? Well, there in lies the "opinion" factor.

Should Apple Be Worried?
This question is both reasonable, and completely laughable, all at the same time. Apple has done a simply amazing job at making a brand that essentially sells itself now. That's not to say that they don't deliver quality products. The new 5K iMac computer performs just as incredibly as the screen looks. Apple's Macbooks and iMacs might be able to bend and turn into Transformers, you might not even be able to utilize any touchscreen functionalities with them, but you do know that you're getting a product that has done so blazingly well, that they don't have to do much with their advertising other than show a small clip of the product itself and then flash their logo. Yes, the competitive market has made their point that they can do a quite a lot physically, that the Apple can't do. Apple is still king of the hill though, so what is that really saying about Apple and the competition?

No matter what your brand or product choice is, laptop, laptop-tablet hybrid, or a laptop that folds out into a couch, remember that quality is what you're looking for. At the end of the day, do you want a device that give you top-notch performance? Or, would you rather a device that could join our U.S. gymnastics team and give you mild performance. The choice should be pretty clear.

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Traveling Safely with Your Data

When you travel, you probably take all sorts of precautions. After all, you'll be in a place you're not familiar with, with people you don't know. You probably stay on guard, keep your luggage locked up and don't keep large amounts of cash on you. But what about your data? Most people take their laptops and cell phones along when they go on trips, or they use public computers, but what are they doing to keep these items safe?

Most people may take a few precautions at home or the office to make sure their data is secure, but when you're traveling, there is a whole new set of things to worry about. For example, using public computers in cybercafes and hotels may seem like a convenient option, but most people don't realize most of them have malicious malware on them. This can include keylogger programs that record your strokes or capture screenshots of what you're doing. Both can lead to someone stealing your log-in information. Before you using one of these computers, ask an employee or attendant what sort of security measures are used on the computers or see if you can't find a security program icon and check it out yourself. If you can't find a secure computer, avoid doing anything that involves your financial information and if you check your email, change your password when you do get to a secure location.

Using public Wi-Fi on your own personal laptop is a safer option but it can cause some problems, as well. There is free, easy to get software on the market that allows people to view and analyze Wi-Fi traffic. Your data could be read by the wrong person using this software. Use a firewall for protection. The most recent versions of both Apple and Microsoft operating systems come with a free one. You'll also want to make sure your information is encrypted. You can check this by making sure your website addresses say "https." Also, while using your laptop or smartphone in public, you may want to consider purchasing a privacy screen. This will prevent nosy neighbors from getting a glance of what you're doing.

Even when you're not using it, you'll want to protect your laptop from potential thieves. Stealing laptops is big business these days, especially at airports. According to the New York Times, over 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen each week in airports. Make sure you've protected and backed up important data. Also, never leave your laptop alone. Take it to the bathroom with you if you need to and never check it with your luggage. Even if you leave it in a hotel room, you'll want to invest in a lock to prevent dishonest hotel staff from doing something they shouldn't.

Switching gears from laptops to smartphones, a smartphone is often a safer alternative for checking email and other data that you may use your laptop for. If you use your iPhone, Blackberry, or other device to connect to Wi-Fi, though, you have the same worries as you do when you use your laptop. Also, some people can use Bluetooth to snoop into your text messages and contact information. And don't forget there are apps you can buy that will help you find your phone if it's lost or stolen. MobileMe for iPhone allows users to locate missing devices on a map, set a password lock from a remote location, display a message on the screen and erase data from a remote location, as well as making your phone ring, even if the ringer is turned off.

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Traveling Across the Border? Don't Take Your Laptop

Despite a lawsuit from the ACLU, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put some new rules and regulations in place, regarding crossing the United States border with laptops and other electronic media storage devices. The rules, similar to those placed by the Bush administration, will "enhance transparency, accountability and oversight of electronic media searches at U.S. ports of entry and includes new administrative procedures designed to reflect broad considerations of civil liberties and privacy protections." Or so says the DHS website.

Under the regulations, border officials have the right to seize and search your laptops, flash drives, and MP3 players without warning. They can keep the laptop or other items for up to thirty days and must keep the owner informed of what is happening with the search's progress. It is believed by the Association for Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) that an image of the laptops' hard drive is taken and stored for an undetermined amount of time.

So what should you do if you're planning to cross the border? Whether traveling for business or pleasure, chances are there are important files you will need for your trip. Here are several ways to be prepared, just in case your laptop is subject to the search and seizure:

• Store your files in other locations. Put them on an external hard drive or disc, or even use an internet-based storage system such as Good Docs. This way you can access your files any time and will always have more than one copy around.


• If your laptop or the information stored on it is important to your job, let border agents know verbally, if not in writing. According the ACTE, you will retain more of your legal rights this way.


• Consider a Laptop Rental. A laptop rental can be delivered to your destination. Not only will you avoid the hassle of dealing with border agents, but you avoid having to carry extra equipment when you travel. Renting a laptop also eliminates the potential for loss or damage while traveling.

In the last ten months, only 46 laptops have seized by border patrol agents, but as with anything, it's always better to be safe than sorry!