I am a big fan of podcasts. I have been since 2006, long before the current podcast explosion. My taste in podcasts varies from marketing (of course), technology and entertainment. My podcasts have evolved over the years. I prefer shows that teach me something or expand my knowledge.
It’s also no shock I prefer iOS/Apple devices and services. However, the Podcast app is not one I enjoy. I had many issues trying to get them to synch or even download podcasts and keep them updated across devices. This is a problem for me because in the last month I have started using my phone for podcasts over my iPod Classic. I want to listen in the car and also use maps and other features of the phone while driving. Plus, it cuts down on cables and carrying two devices.
About 3 years ago I was listening to “This Week In Google” and Gina Trapani listed Pocket Casts as her weekly pick. It’s a podcast app that is across iOS and Android. It syncs in the cloud and knows when and where you left off on podcasts across devices. I used it mainly on trips with my Nexus 7. That was so I wouldn’t run my phone battery down at conferences.
This last year Shift Jelly, the developers of Pocket Casts, did some great upgrades. The first feature I love is you can create playlists. Ok, it’s not NEW but it’s more functional than others. I have two lists one for work and one for home. It will play them in chronological order from the oldest to the newest. This now keeps me from getting behind on shows because I don’t notice a new show is out. It’s way more functional than Apple’s podcast app.
The next feature is the speed adjustment. You can play shows either slower or faster. Some shows you can play at 1.2X speed and not notice much difference in quality. This is perfect if the show is an hour or more. It will cut out 20% of the show. You can then apply it to all shows or just the current show.
One feature that I love, love love is the Trim Silence. It cuts out silence in shows during conversations. Some shows do a great job at taking it out. But, many shows just put it out without taking silence out. The last feature is boost volume. This was actually a feature I didn’t know about till I just looked on their website. It will allow you to boost a volume of a show without using your device’s volume control.
The last feature I like is the notifications. The app will notify you when new episodes of your shows you are subscribed to are released. Note, if you don’t have DND set up on your phone you could get notifications late at night.
This App is not free. Currently, it’s retailing for $5.99. I can hear many go “OUCH.” It’s well worth the money. The advances they are doing on the app keeps improving year after year. I dare to say they are one of the most forward thinking podcast apps. If you are a podcast fan you will love this app.
Find more about Pocket Casts on the Shift Jelly site.
