This week on Simulcast 140, MegaUpload may be down, but we’re still talking tech. We’re all here this week, and we have a ton of news to talk about.

Apple
iBooks 2 /  iTunes U (Thoughts?) iBooks Author reaches 600K Downloads, iTunes U nets 3 Million
Dutch court rejects Apple appeal, says Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is legal
VoiceUtils makes your iPhone 4S wish into a Siri command
German court shoots down Samsung’s 3G patent lawsuit against Apple
Rumor: Foxconn source says “iPhone 5″ gearing up for production with Summer 2012 release

Google
G+ finally allows nicknames and pseudonyms
HTC and IBM hooking up to charm commercial clients
Galaxy Note launching Feb 18th on AT&T

Miscellaneous
SITA and Orange develop NFC-based airport check-ins, let you bump the TSA
AT&T and T-Mobile file request for FCC approval of spectrum transfer
KDDI putting ads in the notification bar on Android phones ( This is the shit I DONT want!)
Supreme Court says police must get search warrant to use GPS tracking devices
Verizon reportedly trials VoLTE services in two cities, eyes nationwide rollout next year
HP pays $425K to US Consumer Product Safety Commission to settle defective battery issue
Federal Judge requires that a defendant decrypt laptop in response to discovery request, says does not violate self-incrimination (5th amendment) protections.  

Gaming
Microsoft eliminating virtual currency?
Rumor: New Xbox in Fall 2013?
Blizzard auctioning off retired WOW blade servers to raise money for St. Judes
LEGO has given approval for Minecraft-themed LEGO sets.
BlizzCon 2012 Cancelled, show will resume in 2013

Listener Email
Greetings from southern Europe. Though I love it I’m having some trouble with my nexus s. It won’t let me unlock the bootloader. I’ve tried both the official “fastboot OEM unlock” and the one click unlock, but it simply stops at the main fastboot menu- no question about wanting to unlock. Instead I put the official ICS on it and that runs just fine (ICS runs soooo damed smooth, love it soooo much).

Since I have a 9220 SLCD version, ICS has coursed some trouble for my future messing around in the the bootloader menus. It turns off the backlighting. It is possible to put a LED torch up against the screen and front light it but the dammed thing is made to resist reflections so it’s a real pain. Any good advice? Do you know a fix for the 9220′s backlight trouble? It used to be locked to the carrier “3″ in Denmark. Could they have blocked off the unlock option? Would it help to roll it back to a stock gingerbread build? Love ICS so I’m not in any hurry, but this is a nexus and so the universe is just a bit off as long as it is still locked… Regards, Arne, Cyprus.
PS: I’d like to send you a voicemail and pronounce my name for you but alas, while I DO have a face for radio i don’t have the voice for it. I guess I can’t win them all, and will just have to be content with whichever way you pronounce it

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app!

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Dave –  “First Week In” & MW3
Patrick – DC Universe Online and MW3
Steve – Chuck Season 4
Bill – 50/50 and Killer Elite
Geoff – Uncharted 3 started DC Universe

Picks of the week
Dave –  Tiny Flashlight
Patrick – ZAGGfolio for iPad 2/ CardMunch (iOS)
Steve – EVI
Bill – Booq Boa Nerve M backpack
Geoff – Samsung Galaxy Nexus OEM extended battery

Simulcast 140: No Introduction Needed [ 1:10:18 | 32.28 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download