Last year I bought a Dell Inspiron desktop to replace my rather ancient (but much loved) Sony Vaio laptop.

It was a great decision but with the advent of free wifi just about everywhere I turn,  I’ve started to resent all those people in my local coffee shop working away whilst I try to drink my coffee in super fast time so this workaholic can get back to work.

So on the first day on 2009 I made a decision. I’d buy a new laptop. It obviously wasn’t going to match up to my former Sony Vaio because well for my budget of £600 I wasn’t going to get a Sony that did much more than turn on and turn off.

Well that’s what I thought until I came across the Sony VGN NS11J/S Laptop.

This laptop comes in at £585 at John Lewis and completely blow me away with it’s spec.

A spec that gives me 320GB of hard drive, built in wifi, the Sony X-black LCD screen for stunning images, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and an absolutely mind blowing 4GB of RAM!

Yes you did read that right - 4GB of ram - that’s enough to let me open all my programs and still have the laptop chugging along as though nothing was happening. The only downside is I won’t get the 24″ screen on my Dell as it’s a 15.4 screen (although I can’t quite see a 24″ screen laptop being that portable…)

I spotted it on Friday. Shopped around and found everyone else had sold out of theirs and weren’t likely to have more stock any time soon. There were more than ten in stock at John Lewis then so I crossed my fingers and thought about it over the weekend.

My final decision? I had to have it, so at 8am I logged on, saw there were now only five and snapped one up for me and will be meeting it between 9-6 tomorrow.

I can’t wait!

Tempted too? You’ll need to be quick. I’ve now reduced John Lewis’s stock to a mere four!!

Take a look at the Sony VGN NS11J/S Laptop at John Lewis now.

Is your loft full of slides and negatives that you can look at because you don’t have a Slide projector and you’re fed up of doing that peering at negatives held up to the light.

You’re not alone. There are thousands of us with some amazing, and some very hilarious, photos that we can not longer see because we haven’t got the equipment.

It’s easy to see, ahh well it doesn’t matter, but it does doesn’t it.

Those slides and negatives are full of photos of people who may not be with us anymore. It’s full of memories we want to relieve.

They’re full of stories we want to tell.

What if you could get all those photos back. Would you? Of course you would.

Now you can with the USB Negative Scanner.

This new USB Negative Scanner is amazing AND incredibly easy to use. You simply pop the slide or negative into the machine and in seconds its on your computer ready to be edited, printed and shown to a whole new generation.

It’s what you’ve always wanted. Your memories back.

And now you can for only £79.95 from Firebox.

It’s still working fine. It does all you need, however, you’re not enjoying using it so much anymore.

It’s not because you don’t like the laptop or you want a new one.

It’s because every time you close it and put it away you notice something.

The scratches, the marks, the battering it’s had.

You know it’s something that happens to all laptops but it makes you sad. It makes you feel you haven’t done a good job of looking after it.

You wish you could make things better… but you don’t know how.

I do. You could give your laptop a Laptop Gelaskins.

What’s a Gelaskin?

A Laptop Gelaskins is a thin protective skin that you stick to your laptop. It’s ultra-clear, scratch resistant and most also very very cool.

Why is a Laptop Gelaskin so cool?

Well because these Laptop Gelaskins aren’t just protective covers. They’re pieces of art. They are something that can change your laptop from being the same as the one next to you to being something that makes a statement about you, about who you are.

It makes people look at your laptop and think that person’s pretty cool. It gets you and your laptop the respect you always deserved.

Wouldn’t it be good if when you got to your study you could watch exactly what you wanted? But there’s no television is there…
Well actually there could be and all it would involve was slotting a simple Cinergy S PCI card into the computer on your desk, installing the TV Cable and installing the software.

Once you’ve done that your computer isn’t just a computer. It’s a full fledged TV ready and waiting to bring you your favourite programmes to watch live or record to watch later..

But what about if you’re going to be away for a few days.

Well that’s no problem. Just leave your computer on standby or sleep mode and it will boot itself up and record your programme.

Oh and don’t worry that you forgot to do it before leaving. Just log onto the internet and do it through there..

What more could you want? HD quality? Well why didn’t you say. That’s available too via the Cynergy S2 PCI HD Card…

That leaves one question left. Where can you get these life transforming PCI cards from and how much will they cost you?
Well that’s simple. You can get them direct from Terratec with the standard card costing £39.99 and the HD a snip at £59.99.

This clever piece of kit has been designed to bring to an end lost data during power cuts by providing uninterrupted power to protect data loss.

This is capable because all of the FSP AI power supplies have a built in Lead-Acid battery that generates and stores power to allow the PC to run for an addition 4 - 5 seconds after a power cut.

In other words just enough time to get everything saved and backed up which the FSP AI power ensures happens by sending a signal to the PC system to activate the data back up function.

A very clever concept that I can see finding it’s way into many a household!

You can find out more at the FSP Group website.

If you haven’t come across the term refurbished laptop before what it basically means is that someone bought the laptop and then returned it. This could be because they didn’t want it or there was a fault with it.

When this happens the manufacturer does a full service of the laptop and corrects any faults there may be. This means that’s in a condition where it can be sold again but legally companies can’t put the laptop back on as full priced so it has to be termed as refurbished and discounted. This means they get to make some money on the laptop and we get to snap up a real bargain.

But just where can you get a refurbished laptop from?

Well you’d be surprised to find it’s much more common than you’d think and refurbished laptops are beginning to pop up on the high street. However the biggest choice is still online and here’s five online stores I’d recommend checking out:

1. SVP Communications

SVP Communications offer a great range of refurbished laptop brands but are often limited in stock to one of each so if you see a bargain snap it up!

Visit SVP Communications now.

2. EuroPC

EuroPc is one of the biggest online computer retailers and has a great range of refurbished laptops from Dell, Toshiba, Packard Bell and HP Compaq.

Visit Euro PC now

3. Laptop Shop

Laptop Shop is home to a great selection of new and refurbished laptops with refurbished laptops brands including Fujitsu Siemens, Acer, Toshiba and HP.

Visit Laptop Shop now.

4. PC World

You might not know it but PC World offers a great range of refurbished laptops from just about every brand they stock which includes the hugely desirable Sony laptops.

Visit PC World now.

5. Amazon.

Amazon don’t actually offer refurbished laptops themselves but through their third party sellers which creates one of the fullest and most impressive ranges online.

Visit Amazon now.

But just what laptop case should you get? Here at Mac and Pc we’ve been comparing laptop cases across the internet and have come up with a top five to help you on your way.

1. Silver Dig M Laptop Bag

The Silver Dig M Laptop bag is made from the same material as the extremely popular Crumpler sleeves which means your laptop will not only be safe but waterpoof too!

The Silver Dig M Laptop Bag is available from Memorybits.

2. Speck See Thru Macbook Hard Case

If you’re looking for a hard laptop case to protect your Macbook then the Speck See Thru Macbook case is the product for you. This not only brightens up your Macbook but will also provide it with great protection.

The Speck See Thru Macbook case is available to buy from MyMemory.

3. Belkin Steel & Burnt Orange Pocket Top Notebook Case

This Belkin Pocket Top Notebook Case not only provides your laptop with great protection but looks really cool at the same time. We love it!

The Belkin Steel & Burnt Orange Pocket Top Notebook Case is available from PC World.

4. Port Designs Chamonix 15.4″ Laptop Backpack

The Port Designs Laptop Backpack not only allows you to protect your laptop on the move but also allows you to stuff it full of everything else you need as well.

The Port Designs Chamonix 15.4″ Laptop Backpack is available from SVP Communications.

5. The Gumb Bush M Laptop Bag

The Gumb Bush laptop bag is a compromise between bag and briefcase and we love it’s modern sleek look.

The Gumb Bush laptop bag is available from Memorybits.

This is because the laptops that SVP Communications sell are refurbished laptops.

What does that mean? It means for one reason or another the laptop has been returned to Dell. When this happens Dell check over the laptop to make sure it’s fine.

But then they face a problem - they can’t legally sell it as new.

The solution is to sell it as a refurbished laptop. This means Dell get to make some money and you get to get a huge discount on a fully working, fully warranted laptop!

The only downside is that these laptops are always limited in stock so if you see one you want make sure you snap that bargain up!

Check out the laptop bargains at SVP Communications now.

The reason why is that PC World is offering you free laptop computers with selected mobile broadband packages from Vodafone and 3.

The free laptops on offer include Compaq, Toshiba and Dell laptops so it really is a great.

In fact I’m tempted myself…

Grab yourself a free laptop today at PC World.

I know exactly how you feel and that’s why I’m totally and utterly in love with Belkin’s illuminating USB cables.

These USB cables contain coloured LED lights which light up when plugged in and ensure you’ll never pull out the wrong wire again.

You can find out more about this cool USB cables and order your own at SVP Communications.