Jane is in love. She believes she may have written about the beginning of her love affair about a year ago. But now, the courtship has evolved into full-blown wedded bliss. Jane and her beau are attached at the hip, especially when traveling.
The object of Jane's affection is small, dark, and handsome. Now, ladies, they say that when it comes to love, size doesn't matter. But in Jane's HO, it does. Smaller is better.
Jane's beau goes by the name of Asus. While Asus is slight, he's quite sturdy. He's a little deficient in memory and intelligence, but he does travel well. And in Jane's book, that latter quality is worth all of the tea in China.
In terms of his diminutive body, well, Asus weighs all of 2 pounds. In inches, he measures 8 ½ x 6. Furthermore, he is wired (for Wi-Fi, that is).
Now, even for those of you not familiar with Jane's witty style of penmanship, you probably have figured out by now that Jane's little mate is actually a micro-computer, known to geeks as a sub notebook or netbook. Mind you, Jane is not shilling for the Asus brand. In fact, there are several companies now making similar machines. But back in 2007, Asus was the first to come out with a micro-model under $400. Jane bought hers in early 2008, when Windows XP was added as the operating system.
Jane doesn't mean to be sexist, but micro-models are perfect for women. Our delicate hands can work the wee keyboard with ease, while those with man paws might not be so keen to attempt typing, lest finger cramping occur. Jane is also somewhat of a lightweight when it comes to heavy lifting. Her previous "portable" computer weighed in at more than eight pounds with accoutrements. Due to the excessive weight said laptop added to her carry-on luggage (and her shoulders), she usually left it at home. Instead, she would try to rely on a combination of flash drives and business center computers. But, of course, that was never a perfect solution. After all, she couldn't use the business center while attired in her bathrobe and slippers. Plus, Jane often wondered what kind of viruses she might be picking up from flashing her drive in so many foreign ports.
And then, prior to a month-long trip to Europe last year, Asus entered her life. Jane was thrilled to find him. He proved a lifesaver over on the Continent, dealing with cancelled flights, hotel reservations, and destination website research with great fluency. Granted, Asus isn't all that helpful if you want to create complicated Power Point presentations or you want to download a jukebox full of music. But for basic word processing tasks and ease of access to the Internet, micros make magnificent mates.
Nowadays, Jane rarely goes on a trip without her wonderful Asus. In fact, Jane is currently writing this column on Asus as we fly together from Phoenix to Washington, DC. Because of Asus' compact nature, there's no need to poke her seatmate while typing. Moreover, if Jane must allow said neighbor entry to the aisle, she can, with one hand, pick Asus off the tray table and into an upright position with the greatest of ease.
Asus' best quality is his ability to move through quickly the security line. As Jane is taking off her shoes, putting on socks to avoid picking up foot fungus, putting her liquids in a plastic bag, and shedding her jacket, belt, and underwire bra, she needn't worry about excessive time putting Asus in or out of his place. He's so easy to whip in and out.
So, ladies, if you are going to buy one business travel tool this year, make it a micro-computer/sub notebook/netbook. You, too, will fall in love. Of course, your old laptop and desktop might be a bit jealous, but let those chips fall where they may.
