Hi internet friends, I’m Ruby, a Designer at Mashable. But that’s not all I do! This weekend, I traveled from New York’s Big Apple to Alaska’s great north to celebrate my BFF’s birthday — a perfect opportunity to test out the versatility and durability of the Acer Swift 3(opens in a new tab) laptop designed on the Intel® Evo™ platform.

Design

As a frequent flier, I’m very efficient at getting through security lines — I pretty much take my shoes off as soon as I get into the airport. But this time, much to my dismay, I was the one who held up the line. I usually travel with a heavy, 15-inch, case-protected laptop that I can’t wait to get off my shoulders, but with the lightweight aluminum design of the Acer Swift 3, I totally forgot that it was in my bag. After an awkward loop back through the metal detector and a few apologetic waves, I was off to my gate.

Unexpected benefit

I don’t usually dig my nose into my screen when I’m in public, but I had a ridiculously long layover in Seattle, so I decided to catch up on a few to-dos while I waited. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the display cut through the glare from the airport’s wall of windows. Instead of constantly clicking the keys to manually turn the brightness up and down, the Swift 3(opens in a new tab)’s Color Intelligence™ dynamically adjusted the brightness and saturation of the screen to keep up with the fickle Seattle sun.

Lifestyle fit

My friend has lived in Alaska for about 5 years now and one thing she’s done to adapt is stock up on big, comfy blankets. It’s an impressive collection, and I took full advantage. After an icy hike and a hearty dinner of moose chili (trust me it’s delicious), we snuggled up in her blanket fort with the Swift 3(opens in a new tab) to binge watch our favorite show. We made it through a whole season on a single charge, so there were no awkward cords to get tangled up in.

Giftability

This time next year, my BFF will complete her certification as a Medical Assistant. Once in the field, she’ll be traveling all around rural Alaska to provide vital care to underserved communities. But more than two years of virtual lectures and digital homework has taken a toll on her current laptop, and she’ll need a reliable, durable machine to take with her across the Arctic.

After spending a weekend with the Swift 3(opens in a new tab), I think this lightweight workhorse will be the perfect gift for this freshly minted Medical Assistant’s 30th birthday. Not only is it a thoughtful and useful gift… it’s also cheaper than another round-trip ticket across the country.