Yeah the lithium AA/AAA are still patented if I recall, so no generic alternatives. I use sanyo eneloop rechargeable most of the time though, not good in cold but almost as much capacity as lithium, and well, rechargeable.

No idea on advanced vs ultimate, up till two or three years ago there was only one version, I kinda suspect it's more to do with marketing, like the "photo" version of alkaline.