The Apple Universe Podcast is back! After a few months of hiatus, the podcast is back, and better then ever! In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast we welcome our new co-host, Alex Nichols!

News:

• Apple Universe Podcast #169 – WWDC 2009
• Tap Tap Revenge 3 Has Landed
• Rock Band for iPhone officially announced
• doubleTwist Launches iTunes-Like Desktop Application for Amazon MP3 Store
• Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1.2
• ‘Mighty Mouse’ Trademark Awarded to Peripherals Manufacturer Man & Machine
• VMware Fusion 3 to Launch October 27th

Hosts: Daniel Brusilovsky (@danielbru) and Alex Nichols (@ alexnichols )
Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky (@danielbru)
Length: 18:55

Support our partners!

• WooThemes

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast we travel to Brightkite HQ in Burglingame, Calif. to learn more about the location-based social network.

News:

This week we travel to Brightkite and talk to Jonathon Linner (@jlinner), CEO of Brightkite. Brightkite is a location-based social network. In real time you can see where your friends are and what they’re up to. Depending on your privacy settings you can also meet others nearby.

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky (@danielbru)
Length: 15:08

Sponsors:

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast we talk about the new iPhone OS 3.0 as well as iPhone tethering.

News:

• Highlights of Apple’s iPhone OS 3.0 Preview
• USB Tethering Seems to be Working in iPhone 3.0
• AT&T To Offer No-Contract iPhones to Existing Customers Starting March 26th?
• Macworld Introduces Macworld’s iPhone Superguide, Second Edition
• The Dream Apps releases Involer 1.2 for Mac OS X – Adds New Features
• Pocket Informant for iPhone brings GTD and Calendar together on iPhone

Review:

• iFrogz EarPollution DJ Style
• OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro
• Able Planet Clear Harmony Headphones

The Able Planet Clear Harmony Headphones are a great traveling headphones with all the accessories it comes with. But, the Clear Harmony is an expensive product, and Able Planet has yet to establish a reputation on the high end audio field. The headphones go for $215.18 on Amazon.com. The good thing is that the Clear Harmony active noise-canceling headphones offer dramatic noise reduction and a rich listening experience. Great for musicians.

Don’t forget about Speck’s MacBook Air SeeThru discount!

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky (@danielbru)
Length: 18:15

Sponsors:

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Sam Levin (@samlevin) from the Cool Mac Picks show joins us to talk about some Apple news!

News:

• Apple Announces New iPod shuffle
• Apple to Preview iPhone OS 3.0 on March 17th
• Apple Netbook Touchscreen Rumors Continue
• ‘Premium’ App Store Rumors Revived
• iTunes 8.1 Now Available
• Final Cut Studio Update Due in Late April?

Sam’s Cool Mac/App Pick of the week:

• LaCie iamaKey USB Flash Drive
• AirPhones (iTunes Link)

Review: MiMo Displays
A single USB connection from your computer gets you an instant secondary (tertiary, quaternary, quinary…) display. This awesome display is perfect for your IM client, your email, a spreadsheet, or your Photoshop tools. Not only do these displays enhance productivity, but they look great. The single USB connection combined with a weight of 1.3 pounds means these displays are ultra-portable. Overall, for the size and power, the MiMo is great for a IM window, or Twitter, but with a 24″ monitor at home in my case, I found it not very useful after the different compared to the 24″ monitor.

Don’t forget about Speck’s MacBook Air SeeThru discount!

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky (@danielbru)
Associate Producer: Sam Levin (@samlevin)
Length: 30:09

Sponsors:

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Sam Levin (@samlevin) from the Cool Mac Picks show joins us to talk about some Apple news!

News:

• Apple Updates Consumer Desktop Line
• Apple Introduces New Mac Pro
• Apple Announces Safari 4
• Amazon Releases Free ‘Kindle for iPhone’ Application
• Apple Releases AirPort and Time Capsule Firmware Update
• WWDC Scheduled for Second Week of June?
• Snow Leopard Build 10A286 Seeded to Developers

Don’t forget about Speck’s MacBook Air SeeThru discount!

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky
Associate Producer: Sam Levin
Length: 32:38

Sponsors:

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

USA — February 24, 2009 — Universal Electronic Accessories (“Uniea”), a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative electronic accessories, announced today that Barnes & Noble, one of the largest online retailers of consumer products of all kinds, is now offering Uniea’s full product line to customers through its far-reaching website. Uniea’s cases and accessories are available through the Barnes & Noble website at books.com, and are featured in both the home and gift sections under the “electronics” categories. To date, this strategic partnership between the two companies has been highly successful, netting impressive U.S. sales results for Uniea in the first quarter of 2009.

The addition of Barnes & Noble as a key sales partner for Uniea follows the company’s steady and impressive efforts in recent months to significantly expand its exposure to various markets globally and forge new distribution alliances with key vendors. Earlier in the year, Uniea announced new ties with both Navarre and Tech Data, two of the largest distributors of consumer electronic products, as well as with the Japanese distributor Focal Point (site in Japanese).

Given the fact that Barnes & Noble remains one of the most popular and successful online retail stores, sales in the U.S. are expected to climb throughout the fiscal year 2009, according to a Uniea spokesperson.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Macworld predictions run high, and a iPhone battery review heats up!

News:

• AT&T Begins Selling $99 (Refurbished) iPhone
• New iMacs Shipping January 2009?
• Apple Updates MobileMe Online Apps
• Get VMWare Fusion 2.0 at a steal, after rebates, free upgrade
• 1Password for iPhone Adds Landscape Mode Support and Password Generator
• Blogo 1.2 adds Ping.fm, Expression Engine, HTML, Comment Moderation
• App4mac releases CheckUp 2.0 Public Beta for Mac OS X

Review:

• Richard|Solo 1800
• Mophie iPhone 3G Juicepack
• FastMac iV

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky
Associate Producer: Sean Blake
Length: 20:26

Sponsors:

• Drop.io – Simple Private Sharing
• iCultur – iCultur.com is a new and exciting environment on the Internet for everyone out there who loves to “think different”
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Daniel Brusilovsky and Sam Levin (camera man for the day), visit Speck Products in Palo Alto, California and talk to Brent Baer, Director of Marketing for Speck.

Our friends at Speck have given us a 25% off discount code! Use the code ‘BUDDY25‘ to get 25% of everything at the Speck website when checking out!

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky
Associate Producer: Sean Blake
Length: 11:57

Sponsors:

• Drop.io – Simple Private Sharing
• iCultur – iCultur.com is a new and exciting environment on the Internet for everyone out there who loves to “think different”
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Daniel shares news from prMac, MacRumors and more!

News:

• Dress up as Santa Claus with your iPhone
• Zevrix Introduces Automated PDF Output Solution for Microsoft Word
• Latest Firefox 3.1 Beta Adds Multi-Touch Support

Review:

• Lowepro Fastpack 250
• Lowepro CompuDaypack
• Lowepro Compact AW

Cool Mac Pick with Sam Levin:

• Djay

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky
Associate Producer: Sean Blake
Length: 22:34

Sponsors:

• Drop.io – Simple Private Sharing
• iCultur – iCultur.com is a new and exciting environment on the Internet for everyone out there who loves to “think different”
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Daniel shares news from prMac, MacRumors and more!

News:

• Pixelmator Team Releases Pixelmator 1.3.1
• MacScripter LLC launches MacDeveloper Beta Testing Resource
• Mien Software releases MediaEdit 3.1.2
• Apple Promotes Environmentally Friendly Notebooks in New Ad
• Apple Releases iTunes 8.0.2
• Apple Releases iPhone 2.2 Firmware

Review:

• iPhone 3G Defender Case
• Eos Wireless Core System

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky
Associate Producer: Sean Blake
Length: 17:13

Sponsors:

• Drop.io – Simple Private Sharing
• iCultur – iCultur.com is a new and exciting environment on the Internet for everyone out there who loves to “think different”
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

The long awaited iPhone firmware version 2.2 has appeared in iTunes. You can install it now by clicking the “Check for Update” button in your iPhone Summary panel. The iPhone 2.2 update includes:

- Google Street View in Google Maps
- Public Transit and Walking directions in Google Maps
- Display the address of a place when you drop a pin
- Share your location via email
- A fix for a scheduled fetching of email bug
- Improved stability and performance of Safari
- Podcasts can be downloaded right to the iPhone over WiFi or 3G
- A decrease in call failures/dropped calls
- Improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages
- The ability to return to the main home iPhone screen with the click of the home button
- The ability to turn on and off the keyboard auto-correction feature

Also, Apple has released iTunes 8.02. The update is available in your Mac OS X software update.

iTunes 8.0.2 improves stability and performance and provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

- Addresses a quality issue creating MP3s on some computers.
- Fixes a connectivity issue with the iTunes Store when using some Internet proxies with Mac OS X.
- Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.

[Information provided via MacRumors and VentureBeat]

UPDATE: iPhone 2.2 firmware update is successful for me as of 11:03 PM PST. Pictures of the process have been posted on my Flickr account here.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Michael Johnston (@michaeljohnston on Twitter), Editor in Chief of iPhoneAlley: All Things iPhone.

• QuickPwn 2.1 For Windows Released
• Trism Rakes In $250,000 In Two Months
• iCopter
• iPhone Alley Podcast

This week, Daniel reviewed the Xtand by Just Mobile. The Just Mobile Xtand holds the iPhone vertically or horizontally, and rotates 360º so that you have your choice of viewing angles. The Xtand received 4.5 out of 5 stars from Daniel.

Consumers can buy the JustMobile® Xtand™ from myGearStore and, nuCourse Distribution is the
only national distributor of the aforementioned product.

Host/Executive Producer: Daniel Brusilovsky
Associate Producer: Sean Blake

REMINDER: The 2008 PodCastAwards are up and running, so please vote for Apple Universe! Just headover to PodCastAwards.com, fill in Apple Universe Podcast and the URL (http://www.appleuniversepodcast.com) and head to the bottom of the page, and fill in your info.

Sponsors:

• Drop.io – Simple Private Sharing
• iCultur – iCultur.com is a new and exciting environment on the Internet for everyone out there who loves to “think different”
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Daniel talks about the latest news regarding the iPhone 3G USB Power Adapter recall, Mac OS 10.5.6, and much more!

• Apple Recalls iPhone 3G USB Power Adapter
• Over 1 Million NBC Downloads Since Return to iTunes
• Blu-ray Support in Mac OS X 10.5.6?
• Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” Ad Airs
• VMware Fusion 2.0 and Parallels 4.0 Beta

This week, Daniel reviewed the AG-225H from ZyXEL. The AG-225H received 3.5 out of 5 stars from Daniel.

REMINDER: The 2008 PodCastAwards are up and running, so please vote for Apple Universe! Just headover to PodCastAwards.com, fill in Apple Universe Podcast and the URL (http://www.appleuniversepodcast.com) and head to the bottom of the page, and fill in your info.

Sponsors:

• Drop.io – Simple Private Sharing
• iCultur – iCultur.com is a new and exciting environment on the Internet for everyone out there who loves to “think different”
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

In this episode of the Apple Universe Podcast, Daniel talks about what got announced at the Apple Media Only “Lets Rock” event.

• iPhone 2.1 Firmware Now Available
• iPhone 2.1 Jailbroken
• PwnageTool and QuickPwn for 2.1 iPhone’s released
• iPhone app sales growing at twice the rate of iTunes music
• iTunes 8 causes Windows Vista BSOD
• Analyst trims Apple estimates, says Air seeing decreased demand
• 2nd Generation iPod Touch Does Work With Microphone
• iTunes 8: HD TV Shows, Grid View, Genius Playlists, NBC
• iPhone Dev Team Portal

This week, Daniel reviewed Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac. Parallels received 4 out of 5 starts on the Apple Universe Podcast!

Sponsors:

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

Topics for Apple Universe #124:

• Apple to Provide Refunds for Notebook Power Adapters?
• Apple Developing Wiimote-Like Controller?
• Latest iPhone 2.0 Firmware Has 3G On/Off Option
• Online Apple Store is Out of iPhones
• T-Mobile Confirms 3G iPhone in Austria?
• Zune breaks 2 million sold, stealing market from Creative not Apple

Review: SnowFlake by Blue Microphone

Sponsors:

• GoToMeeting – web conferencing solution that will revolutionize how you communicate with your business associates, family and friends.
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!
• Spacevidcast – The video cast that lets you know the latest in space and science news!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

Apple Universe brings in Michael Johnston (@michaeljohnston on Twitter), founder and editor-in-chief for iPhone Alley (@iphonealley), to discuss Macworld 2008 Media advantages and experiences, and his popular web site, iPhone Alley.

Sponsors:

• GoToMeeting – web conferencing solution that will revolutionize how you communicate with your business associates, family and friends.
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!
• Spacevidcast – The video cast that lets you know the latest in space and science news!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

Topics for Apple Universe episode #117:

• AT&T Begins Boosting 3G Networks
• Rumor: Unlocked 3G iPhone In Italy by Summer?
• More GPS Hints Found In SDK
• Apple Files For Universal IM Client Patent
• Apple offers developers weekend 10.5.3 seed
• Apple Releases Safari 3.1.1, Addresses PWN2OWN Vulnerability
• PayPal denies plan to block Safari

Additional Segment:

• Review: MXL 990 Microphone

Sponsors:

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.
Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

Topics for Apple Universe episode #116:

• Apple Notebooks to See Major Design Changes
• Apple Hardens QuickTime Security
• Apple Ships Final Cut Server
• Apple Seeds New iPhone OS 2.0 Beta (5A240d), SDK Update (Beta 3)
• 3G iPhone Pricing to Remain at $399, $499? Launch At WWDC?
• Pro Applications Update 2008-01
• Apple Seeds Mac OS X 10.5.3 (9d19) to Developers
• Apple hires HP’s top corporate attorney
• MacBook Air Bluetooth firmware update released

Sponsors:

• GoToMeeting – www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts – web conferencing solution that will revolutionize how you communicate with your business associates, family and friends.
• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!
• Skitch – The best screen capture program for the Mac!
• Spacevidcast – The video cast that lets you know the latest in space and science news!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com.

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

Apple Universe #114 Topics:

Apple announced the immediate availability of the Aperture 2.1. Apple is working with a number of 3rd party developers to bring their plug ins to Aperture. This list of 3rd party plug-ins include: Nik Software’s Viveza plug-in, PictureCode’s Noise Ninja plug-in, Digital Film Tools’ Power Stroke plug-in, The Tiffen Company’s Dfx plug-in, dvGarage’s dpMatte plug-in and HDRtoner plug-in, and Image Trends’ plug-ins: Fisheye-Hemi, ShineOff, and PearlyWhites.

Apple quietly issued a new update to the Apple TV tonight. Apple issued the first Mac OS X 10.5.3 seed (9d10) to developers yesterday. Fixes range from Dashboard, Parental Controls, iCal Synchronization, memory leaks and stability issues. All in all, 75 distinct bug fixes are listed in the accompanying seed notes.

Not content with its Inkwell technology, Apple has started a search for a handwriting recognition engineer to improve Mac OS X and, potentially, the iPhone. Also, the company has issued separate updates for AirPort Extreme on Tiger systems as well as newer Mac Pro workstations. According to the old Safari on Windows license agreement is illegal. Apple has changed the typo. iPhone Alley reports that an analyst with Bank of America predicts that the 3G iPhone will begin shipping this June.

Apple on Thursday released a new version of its iPhone software developers kit (SDK) that allows third parties to develop applications for the iPhone and iPod touch digital media player. Two reports claim to know when the iPhone will be available in Mexico and the Netherlands. An inside job at an Apple store briefly stole 332 iPhones, and a MacBook Air was first to fall in a major hacking contest. iPhone Alley reports iPhone 2.0 To Include Wireless .Mac Syncing?

What is the secret of Twitter? Robert Scoble answers. For the 58 Twitter apps, check over here.

Follow me on Twitter!

Sponsors:

• GoToMeeting – www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts – web conferencing solution that will revolutionize how you communicate with your business associates, family and friends.

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at sales@appleuniversepodcast.com .

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.

Apple Universe #113 Topics:

New HTML and CSS Features in Safari 3.1. Other features include native get ElementsByClassName and client-side database storage. With the release of Safari 3.1, Apple has started pushing Safari to Windows iTunes users. I know we have Apple Universe listeners who use Windows, so this is great new for you!

MacScoop predicts Penryn Mac mini updates in the coming weeks. Apple is also expected to refresh their iMac line with the latest Intel processors. Adobe made comments on Tuesday saying that they will be delivering a Flash client for the iPhone.

Sponsors:

• GoToMeeting – www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts – web conferencing solution that will revolutionize how you communicate with your business associates, family and friends.

• shinywhitebox – Great software for Mac. The makers of iShowU, Stomp and now Chatter! Check them out today!

If you would like to sponsor Apple Universe, contact the Sales team at .

Theme Music is provided by Daphna Kalfon. Apple Universe is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network and the Teen Podcasters Network.