There has been some excitement about the addition of Direct-To-iPhone download of Podcasts with the 2.2 Software but there has also been some contention at the fact that this overdue feature has resulted in third-party apps like Podcaster being denied entry into the App Store. Some with jailbroken phones have opted to install Podcaster, as it doesn’t have the 10MB limit for 3G/EDGE download, allowing you to view or listen to any Podcast even when you’re not near WiFi. Unfortunately, at $4.99US for the full-featured version, it’s nice to know that there’s a free option standard on every iPhone. But how does it stack up?
Pretty well, I’d say… First off, the interface is just what you’re used to in both the Music Store and the App Store; fully illustrated and easy to search or browse by category, most popular, etc. Of course, it’s only good for podcasts that are available on iTunes, but that’s unlikely to be much of an issue since most are available there anyway.
What about that 10MB size limit I mentioned earlier? As it turns out, it’s less of a limitation than anticipated. For audio podcasts, you’ll pretty much be limited to downloading podcasts that are half an hour in length or less when you’re not on WiFi and for video, well… pretty short videos only. It does sound pretty limiting, but that’s only for downloads. I have yet to find any audio podcast of any size or length that doesn’t stream immediately and flawlessly and, while some videos don’t seem to want to stream, most seem to stream pretty well over 3G in much higher quality than you would get from the YouTube app, though when streaming a video podcast, you’re stuck with landscape mode, whereas downloaded video podcasts can be played in portrait mode, if you prefer.
The only real downside I can see to the Podcast section is that it doesn’t allow you to subscribe to any new podcasts you may have discovered, nor does it recognize any you have subscribed to on your computer’s iTunes. All in all, though, a great addition to the iPhone’s arsenal, and one that may move my iTunes app off the last page of apps on my iPhone.
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November 30th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Is it me or is there not a search feature for the podcasts?
November 30th, 2008 at 4:59 am
How can you call this a “great addition” when the oh so very basic and important Subscribe feature is missing??
Does the Podcaster jailbrekapp support subscriptions?
November 30th, 2008 at 9:32 am
There is a search function: bottom navigation bar, third button from the left.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
@Tommy:
I would imagine that the exclusion of the subscribe feature is due to the integration with iTunes. If you’re subscribed to a podcast on your computer, you can easily sync your podcasts to the iPhone. It would still be nice to have the option, but it’s a really solid feature even without it.
The Podcaster app does have a subscribe feature, but the free version has a limit of three subscriptions. Whether you use the free version or pay $4.99 for the full capabilities, the app leaves a lot to be desired. There’s no browse feature, so you have to already know what podcasts you want, and all you get from a search is a text-only title that is often cut off. Clicking on the title doesn’t give you more info, it auto-subscribes you. For example, a search for “Rachel Maddow” turned up 4 podcasts, and I couldn’t tell which was which without subscribing to them until I got the right one and unsubscribing from the rest.
November 30th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Cheers for that Han!
December 8th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
how can i sync the pocasts (audio) into my library?
December 8th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Jb, Inc: In the Apple app, they sync back to iTunes automatically when you sync, just like anything else that’s downloaded to the iPhone. If for some reason that isn’t working, then plug in your iPhone and, in iTunes, go to File>Transfer Purchases from “Your_iPhone’s_Name.” Viola!