Today’s update also brings with it several minor bug fixes, including curing a problem where some Flash-based streams wouldn’t properly play, so all users should be sure to update. If you’re already using Radioshift, just choose “Check For Update” from the Radioshift menu to get this free update. If you’re not using Radioshift yet, you can learn more here, then download the free trial to check it out.

A lot of parts in a little case.

The end result is a nice frame which can sit anywhere. It’ll play audio from iTunes or Airfoil – very cool!

So we were of course honored to see that our own Airfoil was chosen to be featured, on August 10th. If you’ve never checked out Airfoil, as their post describes, it’s a great way to get audio all over your house. If you already know about Airfoil, check out Netted.net for more tips on all sorts of helpful services and products.

Our own application Radioshift is included in the promotion, so if you haven’t used Radioshift before, now’s the perfect time to check out the best Internet radio recorder. You can save over 20% with the details from this link.

Head over to http://www.iappsforstudents.com/ to check out all kinds of great software and get great discounts too.

According to Apple, the company’s support department already receives “literally millions of reported instances of problems flowing from jailbroken phones.”

Translation: Don’t affirm that jailbreaking is legal. People think it’s illegal now, and it’s a huge problem already!

“As we’ve said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones…”

Translation: No one is jailbreaking anyway, so who cares if it’s legal?

In addition to accessibility improvements, we’ve added a Dock menu, which provides handy playback controls even while Pulsar is hidden. We’ve also added a Jump to Live command, which restarts live playback by jumping to the end of the pause buffer, and Growl notifications have also been improved to coalesce, meaning only one is shown on-screen at a time. These improvements, along with many small bug fixes, are all available in the free Pulsar 2.1 update.

Get It Now

If you listen to satellite radio via XM or SIRIUS, you’ll want to check out the Pulsar page to learn more, then download Pulsar 2. It’s a free update for all current owners of Pulsar, and new users can purchase for just $20.

A Complimentary License?

If you’re reading this site, it’s a good bet that you already own one of our current Mac OS X products. If so, for a limited time, you’re eligible for a complimentary license to Pulsar. Just visit this page.

If you don’t yet own any of our software, you can purchase right through our store, and obtain your Pulsar license right after.

You can see everyone on staff over at our Staff page. There you’ll also see that Lee Falin, who had handled support since the beginning of 2009, has now taken over development on Airfoil for Windows.

Anyhow, if you have any questions about any of our products, contact us directly for support as always. And if you do, be sure to say “Welcome!” to Chris!

In addition to supporting background audio on iOS 4 (for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, as well as the third generation iPod Touch), this update features updated graphics for the iPhone 4′s Retina Display, and several other minor bug fixes. And of course, since Airfoil Speakers Touch is a free app, this is a free update.

So grab Airfoil Speakers Touch 1.1 from the App Store (if it’s not there yet, just wait for the App Store to update). If you haven’t used it yet, try out Airfoil to send audio all around your house!

We’ve also submitted Airfoil Speakers Touch 1.1 to Apple, for posting on the App Store. Dan wrote about this last week, and we’ve now completed our initial update. This version works in the background on iOS 4, which means you won’t lose your audio because you switched applications – hooray!

Our dislike for the App Store is well known, and we don’t have plans for further iOS apps at this time. However, we know thousands of users love Airfoil Speakers Touch, and we’re planning to continue updating it. We’ve even got plans for some new features, coming soon.

So, grab the latest Airfoil for Mac and/or Airfoil for Windows, watch for Airfoil Speakers Touch 1.1 (coming soon), and keep your eyes out for future news on Airfoil as well.

What the Heck is Pulsar?

If you’re not familiar with it, Pulsar lets you listen to satellite radio (XM or SIRIUS) on your Mac. Using Safari to visit the XM or SIRIUS web sites is awkward, and times out after a certain period of listening. Pulsar has always been a far more convenient way to access those hundreds of channels.

Hold It Right There

With Pulsar 2, we’re moving past anything you can do with web access. Most notably, you can pause the live stream. Later, you can pick up listening without losing a beat. Or if you got interrupted and couldn’t pause, just go back and catch what you missed. But we also hold on to the last 3 hours, so you can go forward, and skip 10 seconds, a minute, or even to the next song.

For the Next/Previous Song commands, we rely on metadata from the server to tell us when songs start. This data isn’t always perfectly in sync with song changes, but coupled with the jump arrows (← & →), the commands are quite useful.

For those interested in the technical aspects of pause, we’re buffering to disk. A full 3 hour buffer takes up only about a gigabyte of space, and quitting Pulsar frees up the space.

Name That Tune

Back to song titles: we now provide two great ways to use them. First, if you’ve installed the Growl add-on (a free download from http://growl.info), Pulsar can briefly display a window like the one to the right each time a new track comes on. You’ll be able to see what’s playing, no matter what application you’re using.

Pulsar can also share your listening information by posting to your free Last.fm account (they call this “scrobbling”). Some channels announce the DJ breaks as songs, but Pulsar can usually avoid scrobbling them.

Designed For Use

Even though Pulsar is mostly about listening, we wanted to make sure that you get a great experience when you’re interacting with it. There’s a classy new look, thanks to our designer Christa. But the redesign also provides a simple way to reorganize your favorite channels, using drag & drop. And you can now access your favorites from the handy mini-player.

Check It Out

Pulsar was already the best way to listen to satellite radio on your Mac. Version 2 is better than ever. If you already use it, be sure to choose Check For Update from the Pulsar menu. Otherwise, download the free trial here.