edit: I'm in the USA.

Hi all. This is my second try here. Per your advice several months ago, I've been waiting quite some time for Haswell-imbued laptops to come along, but I can wait no longer: I need a laptop by September 1.

I'll be using it mainly for grad school (statistical software a bit of programming, writing papers, many many browser tabs open simultaneously) and some light gaming on the side (Left 4 Dead, GTA4, Mass Effect, Medieval Total War II -- i.e., nothing too graphics intensive).

Key features I'm interested in:

• I'd like more than 6.5 hours of battery life.
• Something that weighs less than 5 lbs. I want something easy to carry! (15.6" is the biggest I'd go. However, I don't want anything too small, either - I think 13" is the minimum screen I'd take.)
• At least 8 GB of RAM.
• Pretty standard these days, but it's gotta have a backlit keyboard and an integrated webcam. Keyboard has got to be good for typin', too.
• I prefer Windows.
• 1440 x 900 resolution or better. 1366 x 768 is unacceptable. Ideally, I'd like something 1920 x 1080 or higher.
• I don't need an optical drive and I don't particularly care about speakers.
• I would prefer an established brand, if possible (e.g., Asus, Acer, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba). Open to other suggestions, though.

Finally, what are your thoughts on "protection plans"? Worth it, or not worth it? I'm generally pretty careful with my computers, but at the same time, I probably won't be able to flat-out replace my computer-to-be if something happens to it. That said, these plans can add $200-$300 on to up-front costs. Do you guys normally go for it?

Thanks very much for your input!