iPodder 2.0 Release Elevates Podcasting

The nascent market of podcasting got a boost this week
with the latest release of iPodder 2.0.

The new version of
the popular podcasting client sports a slicker look among
its long list of feature improvements, which developers
argue is proof positive that podcasting technology is now
mature and ready to be taken seriously.

Podcasting, a term derived from Apple’s iPod, makes use of
RSS enclosures to allow users to listen and subscribe to
audio content much the same way they can with a text blog.
The technology can be played on any MP3-capable
device.

IPodder is an open source application licensed under the GPL , written in the open source Python language and
available for the Windows, OS X and Linux operating systems. It allows users to “tune-in” to podcasts and listen, as well as save the audio programs to their computers or media devices.

According to its developers, it has been downloaded more than 125,000 times since August.

The iPodder 2.0 client includes a redefined user
interface, as well as a new streamline podcast feed
subscription process. Older downloads can now also be
removed easily with the new quick cleanup functionality.

Version 2.0 also enables users to resume downloads and perform
threaded downloads, as well as scans. The new version also
supports new importing and exporting capabilities via the
XML-based OPML (outline processor markup language).


“The most notable aspect is that it’s improved from humble
AppleScript origins to a full-featured, cross-platform GUI
app,” iPodder core developer Andrew Grumet told
internetnews.com. “It’s nice looking and has the kind of
features that users have come to expect, such as a rich
set of preferences settings and power-user stuff like
keyboard shortcuts.”


The podcasting community that barely existed when the
first version was released last year has grown
dramatically over the last six months.

Podcasting pioneer Adam Curry’s iPodder.org directory site currently
actively tracks 4,123 feeds. Among those sites is
OpenPodcast.com, which offers people the opportunity to
contribute content to a dynamically generated podcast.
The concept, according to its Web site, is along the lines
of a “time-shifted, un-moderated call-in show.”


“I think the release of iPodder 2.0 demonstrates the
excitement and goodwill that abounds in the podcasting
community,” OpenPodcast.com founder Ben Tucker told
internetnews.com. “iPodder has been a strictly volunteer
effort from the beginning. That the developers were able
to produce a solid and complete product so quickly and for
the sole purpose of improving podcasting is admirable.”

Though podcasting for the most part is not monetized,
that’s not to say it doesn’t lack the potential to be a
disruptive force.

Among those that believe in the market
potential of podcasting is MessageCast, a Redwood City,
Calif.-based company.

“Podcasting is for real. The migration to time-shifted
media is here to stay — try and take a Tivo away from
someone who has been using it for a while,” Dave Hodson, MessageCast CTO, told
internetnews.com. “Podcasting represents a movement away
from traditional mass-media and towards a more
niche-oriented, smaller media world.”

MessageCast’s LiveMessage alerting service lets users know when a new podcast is available and alerts them via any number of different mechanisms, including
e-mail, IM and RSS. The plan is to allow advertisers to
place contextual ads in those alerts.


The iPodder core development team also recognizes some of
the commercial aspects of its application and have
already had some interest in that direction from
businesses.

“We’re getting a lot of interest in offering branded
versions of the application,” Grumet said. “These are businesses
and organizations that would like to offer the application
with custom logos and default subscriptions, for download
from their own site.”


“We’ve begun to add support for this, and will be
continuing to build this capability out,” Grumet added.

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