podcasting

Review: Download and play iTunes podcasts with Podcast Search for Android

The iTunes Store holds thousands of free podcasts, but what if you're an Android kind of person? That Apple is tempting, but don't bite; adapt! Androids who are also Pod People can simply download and play iTunes podcasts on their alien devices. It's easy, thanks to apps like Wagachat's iTunes Podcast Search. The name describes this free iTunes browser for Android: It searches iTunes for free podcasts that you can download and play or share on your little green robo-phone. Like the podcasts, themselves, Podcast Search is free, though it displays banner ads in your notification … Read more

Podcasts 1.0 Review

Podcasts have grown in popularity in recent years as smartphone use has exploded. Constantly-connected mobile devices that can not only download but also stream podcasts live from anywhere with a wireless signal make them more readily available than ever before -- so much so that Apple designed and released a dedicated Podcasts app in mid-2012. The app adheres to Apple's strict no-frills design policies and looks wonderful, but has some glaring problems that have still not been remedied after months in the App Store.

The Podcasts App is classic Apple. Open it and you're immediately shown tiles of … Read more

Play podcasts and save them to the cloud with Podcast Gallery

If you are a podcast listener lacking in some direction if not organization, Podcast Gallery can help you get a handle on the various podcasts you watch or listen to. Head to the Podcast Gallery site and you'll be greeted with a selection of the most popular podcasts on the Web.

Click on a podcast listed and you'll get a reverse chronological listing of its episodes. For each episode you can listen or watch right in your browser (Podcast Gallery uses HTML 5; no Flash required), download it, or send it to Dropbox or Google Drive. Also for … Read more

Podcasts gets a little better, still not the best

Editors' note: This review was updated March 25, 2013, with information on how to subscribe to third-party podcasts.

Apple's Podcasts (for both iPhone and iPad) gives you a standalone app that lets you subscribe to, play, and discover podcasts from any category. The app got off to a very shaky start with several missing features, but a new update might give podcast fans some relief.

The Podcasts interface is easy to navigate. You have a Store button in the upper left where you can search the iTunes App Store for podcasts by category, most popular, and other criteria (the … Read more

Podcasts app update adds iCloud sync, custom stations

A new update to Apple's standalone app for podcasts adds a handful of new features and fixes some bugs.

Key among the new stuff is a way to create custom stations that get new episodes of podcasts when they're published. You can also set whether you want these stations to start with the oldest or newest episodes. These stations are stored on Apple's iCloud, so if you're switching between two different iOS devices, they'll stay synced up.

Apple's also tweaked the Now Playing view that looks a bit more like Apple's standalone Music … Read more

Easily stream radio and podcasts with UberTalk

Perhaps the recent theatrical release of "The Hobbit" will make the following statement sound less dated, but I doubt it. Either way, I'm going to say it: UberTalk is the one audio streaming app (or site) to rule them all. By audio streaming, I mean live radio shows and podcasts. And by all, I mean a great many.

UberTalk lets you listen to 20,000 AM/FM radio shows and podcasts, according to the developer, Michael Robertson of MP3.com fame. Although the selection is large, UberTalk limits radio to terrestrial stations; sorry Stern fans.

On UberTalk.com, … Read more

The worst app Apple ever made

Podcasts are all kinds of awesome. A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life, Wiretap, The Truth -- there's a virtually endless supply of great listening to be had free of charge.

Apple's Podcasts app, on the other hand, is all kinds of suck. It's so abysmal that I'm breaking my if-you-can't-say-anything-nice rule to vent my hatred of it. Ever since it debuted last June, I've tried to put up with it, tried to work around its countless limitations and atrocious interface. But no more. I'm done.

What's the problem with Podcasts? Ye … Read more