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11 Smart
Tedi Smart john biggs
Ever wish your PC
could be pint-sized?
In a landscape long dominated by
bulky laptops, Ultra Mobile PCs
or UMPCs are Lilliputian in size
but big on features. Designed to run
full versions of Windows, these tiny
devices generally are the size of a
paperback book.
UMPCs aren’t for everyone. Their
small size means the batteries last
only about three hours, and the tiny
keyboards may seem awkward. But
if you want to combine ultimate porta
bility with the option of running ap
plications such as Microsoft Word and
Excel, then these mini-PCs are worth
a second look. The OQO 02 (starting
UMPCs
you
compute Iff
on the go. jH
j at $1,499, oqo
.com), pictured,
weighs about 1
pound and is 1 inch
thick. It has a mini-
touchpad as well as a
slide-out keyboard.
The ASUS R2H (SI,OOO, usa.asus
.com) is a UMPC with a 7-inch screen,
a keyboard and a mapping utility with
GPS navigation. The R2H has a 60-
gigabyte hard drive.
usaweekehd.com
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USA WEEKEND • Sept. 14-16,2007
Travel Smart By EVERETT POTTER |
Tips for flying with pets;
Bl F YOU plan to take
■ your dog or cat on a
flight, here’s what you
need to know:
■ Consult with your
vet to assess your pet’s ability to travel,
based on his age and health.
■All of your pet’s vaccinations should
be up to date, and you should plan to
travel with current health and rabies
certificates issued within 10 days of
your trip. These documents may be re
quired for air travel and can be useful
in the event that your pet needs medi
cal attention on the road.
■ To fly with your dog or cat, the
pet must be at least 8 weeks old and
needs a reservation. Be sure to check
Money Smart walecia konrad
What to do if you get a letter from the IRS
Starting next month, the IRS will
begin doing random audits of about
13,000 individual 2006 tax returns.
The audits will continue for the next
three years. What should
you do if you’re chosen for
an audit?
■ Don’t panic. A ran
dom audit is just that
random. It’s not a signal
the IRS has found some
thing wrong. Most likely
you’ll get asked for documentation
on specific areas of your- tax return.
Send those documents via mail or e
mail, and that may be the end of it
Or, you might have to meet with an
agent at a local IRS office.
■ Answer promptly. Always res
pond on or before the deadline, even
President & CEO • Marcia L Bullard
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To ask any USA WEEKEND columnist a quostion, visit usawookond.com.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE
if you’re asking for more time to pre
pare. The IRS almost always grants
extensions, but it doesn’t respond
well to hearing nothing from you. If
If you did a
complete job
when you
filed, then an
audit will be
no sweat.
plete backup for business ex- A
penses and declaring a de- J
pendent who doesn’t qual- |
ify are trouble spots, says |
Greg Rosica, an Ernst & t..
Young tax partner and con- wj§|>
tributor to The Ernst &
Young Tax Guide 2007.
Managing Editor Brenda Turner Creative Manager Casey Shaw
Senior Editors: Craigh Barboza. Carol Clurman, Constance Kurz. Lorrie Lynch,
Priscilla Totten Copy Chief: Jill Golden Copy Editor All Cybulski
Make A Difference Day Editor Pamela Brown Senior Writer Dennis McCafferty
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Online: Amelia Stephenson Office Coordinator Troy Artis
JWfJ|l
,-,-r 1
with your airline about the maxi
mum size carry-on allowed for soft
sided cabin pet carriers. A pet carrier
counts as one carry-on bag and must
fit under the seat in front of you. The
fee for flying with a carry-on animal
varies. For example, American Airlines
charges SBO, and United charges SBS.
■ Larger animals must fly along
a tax preparer helped you
file, immediately send him
or her a copy of the IRS
letter you received.
■ Know audit trouble
spots. For example, no docu
mentation for charita
ble donations, incom-
with checked baggage. Check with 1
the airline about maximum limits 5
on the combined weight of the carrier
and your animal. American Airlines,
for example, charges SIOO per animal,
and United charges SIOO to S2OO, based
on your pet’s size.
Award-winning travel writer Everett
Potter’s website is everettpotter.com.
Eat Smart jean carper
Having a baby? Eat apples
Do you want your child to be free of asth
ma? If so, you should eat lots of apples
while you are pregnant, a new Scottish
study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Aber
deen in Scotland found that 5-year-old
children whose mothers had eaten the
most apples during pregnancy were least
likely to experience
wheezing episodes
or doctor-confirmed
asthma.
Fating fish at
least one time a
H week while you
■ are pregnant
also can help
V your young off
spring avoid get
ting eczema. C 3
Contributing Editors
Pam Anderson. Ken Burns, Jean Carper,
Stephen Covey, Jorge Cruise,
Steve Dale, Kenneth C. Davis,
Sharon Epperson, Dennie Hughes,
Walecia Konrad, Lisa Ling,
Lou Manfredini, Dr. Tedd Mitchell,
Ann Pleshette Murphy, Cokie Roberts,
Steve Roberts, Tavis Smiley,
Terry Shekels
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Regional Directors/
Newspapers
Charlie Williams
Taaz Williams
Luci Day
e Copyright 2007
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