Reprinted from TidBITS#919/17-Mar-08 with permission. Copyright (C) 2008, TidBITS. All rights reserved. http://www.tidbits.com/ TidBITS#919/17-Mar-08 ===================== Issue link: You've seen the commercials and read the early reviews, but how does the MacBook Air perform in real-world usage? And by "real-world," contributor Angus Wong means, how well does it work from bed on a lazy weekend morning (among other places and times)? On that note, Joe Kissell reconsiders sleep - the sleep feature of his laptop, that is - with the utility SmartSleep. Jeff Carlson meets a new sultry text-to-speech voice being used by Apple, and Glenn takes a quick look at Apple's new 802.11n-savvy AirPort Express Base Station. This week also includes plenty of update news, as we look at important updates for Microsoft Office 2008 and Office 2004, a standalone AirPort Utility update, a new AppleScript solution for pasting plain text into Word 2008, and a new version of the ebook "Take Control of Switching to the Mac," plus a quick list of other notable updates. Lastly, we note an unlimited AT&T voice plan for iPhone owners, give away several copies of the IPNetMonitorX network utility, and peek at email messages expressing dissatisfaction with Windows Vista system requirements, as written by Microsoft execs. Articles Apple Releases 802.11n AirPort Express AT&T Offers Unlimited Voice Use iPhone Plan Apple Releases Updated AirPort Utility for Tiger, Leopard, Windows DealBITS Drawing: Win a Copy of IPNetMonitorX Updated Paste Plain Text AppleScript for Word 2008 SmartSleep Solves Safe Sleep Situation Automating Text-to-Speech Video Narration Vista Woes Aired in Internal Microsoft Email Take Control News: Updated Help for Switching to the Mac Important Updates Released for Office 2008 and 2004 Bedding Down with a MacBook Air TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 17-Mar-08 Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/17-Mar-08 ------------ This issue of TidBITS sponsored in part by: -------------- * READERS LIKE YOU! Support TidBITS with a contribution today! Special thanks this week to Richard G. Mulligan, Jr., Juerg Fehr, Karen Schroeder, and David T. Harvey, Jr. for their support! * GET FETCH 5 FOR FREE! Fetch Softworks makes Fetch, the original Macintosh FTP client, free for educational and charitable use. Fetch 5.3 includes a new look and Leopard technology support. Apply today at ! * WebCrossing Neighbors Creates Private Social Networks Create a complete social network with your company or group's own look. Scalable, extensible and extremely customizable. Take a guided tour today * Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 8.7 -- Latest version offers a major interface overhaul, new prefs, text clippings, improved JavaScript, new Ruby/SQL/YAML/Markdown support, code folding. Over 160 new features in all! . * MARK/SPACE, INC: The Missing Sync provides the very best in synchronization for Mac users with BlackBerry, Palm OS, or Windows Mobile devices. Integrates with Address Book, iCal, Entourage, iPhoto, and iTunes. * VMware Fusion. The most seamless way to run Windows on your Mac. Backed by nearly a decade of proven virtualization technology. Try VMware Fusion today for free, or order online for only $79. Visit: * StuffIt Deluxe 12: breakthrough compression of MP3 files, PDFs, iWork and MS Office files! Reduce JPEG file sizes with no loss in quality, burn to CD/DVD, back up archives to iDisk and more. Buy today for only $59.99! * ConceptDraw Business Suite: Take control over your business workflow with this powerful set of tools. Mind Mapping, Project Management, Business Graphics - all easily created on your Mac! Right now Special Price: $449! * DealBITS: Get the word out about your product AND generate sales! It's easy: give away a few copies and offer a discount to entrants. A DealBITS drawing is quick to set up and can easily pay for itself. For more info and rates, visit . ---------- Help support TidBITS by supporting our sponsors ------------ .