New laptop specifications

Current OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, SP1
Future OS in new laptop: Windows 10
Current laptop: ASUS K52F, Memory 4GB, Hard drive 500 GB, Processor Intel Core i3 M370 @ 2.40 GHz, Screen 15 inch (diagonal), Display 1366 x 768

My current laptop is 5 years old & has provided great service. However not knowing how much longer it will last, I want to be proactive and start researching a new laptop.

I use my laptop for web surfing, coding (C, VBA), watching movies (via DVD & streaming), Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc. When watching movies I connect the laptop to an external 22 inch HD monitor. I do not do gaming so do not need a high end graphic chip-set. I want screen size of 14 inch or more. I want to spend less than $700 or so.

I would appreciate recommendations as follows:

(1) Manufacturer - which ones have the best customer service? (ASUS customer service has not been good to me.)
(2) Memory - how much?
(3) CPU - which series (eg: Intel Core i5?)
(4) CPU speed?
(5) Hard drive speed?
(6) Flash cache necessary?
(7) Any other characteristics I should consider?