Podcasts - the easy way to subscribe to shows [App of the week]

Podcasts – the easy way to subscribe to shows [App of the week]

by Tim Gee, Apps 02/08/2012

What is Podcasts?

Podcasts is an app for keeping all your shows in once place and making it easy to find and subscribe to new shows. As well as providing access to the podcasts available on iTunes, the app includes a player for both audio and video shows.

Available free on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad it can be downloaded from the following link of Apple’s App Store.

For more recommendations read our app reviews.

5 things we like about Podcasts

It keeps all your shows in one place
All your downloaded shows will appear in the library so its easy to find the latest shows. There is also the option to access the top stations from your library providing suggestions for a range of topics.
It can play audio and video podcasts
Not limited to audio podcasts, the app also helps you find and watch video podcasts. You can switch between audio and video channels with a switch at the top of the screen or browse the charts of either type.
You can change the speed of playback
One rather strange feature is the ability to change the speed of playback. We’re still not exactly sure what use this has – other than making the presenter’s voices sound funny – but the option is there if you want it.
It automatically downloads new episodes
Like subscribing through iTunes you can have each episode of a podcast automatically delivered each time a new one becomes available. This means you need never miss an episode of the Which? Technology podcast again!
You can set a sleep timer
If you like to listen to podcasts as you fall asleep – obviously not the exciting Which? Technology podcast – the sleep timer can be a great little tool. You can set this to put the app to sleep in a time between 5 minutes and an hour or when the current episode ends.

Tim’s impressions of Podcasts

As you would expect from Apple the app is slick and well-made, with styling as if the app is playing the podcast from old style audio reels.

The app has recently been updated after users complained of crashes and the app freezing and after trying out the app Apple seems to have addressed these issues.

It’s easy to use when both looking for shows and playing the ones that you have downloaded. It’s a fairly simple app, not offering a lot of features, but it does what it aims to do.

The addition of the feature to change the speed of the program seems little more than a gimmick, but the sleep timer is a useful addition you don’t get if listening to a podcast using the Music app on Apple iOS devices.