Since getting an iPhone 5, I have been listening to more podcasts than ever before. Not just due to the device, but partly to being fed up with not getting through the podcasts that I want to. Here is how I am listening:
- I have tried Instacast, but I couldn’t figure out Instacast’s playlist feature, so I tried Downcast and it has stuck. I sync the podcast subscriptions and listened episodes between my iPhone and iPad, just in case I want to listen on either device.
- When I get up and refresh my feeds, I put the bottom edge of my iPhone in an empty toilet paper roll tube. I cut a flap in the center of the tube, as long as the iPhone and it rests in their nicely, helping to amplify the podcasts while I take a shower and get ready for the day.
- I use a Jabra Cruiser connected by Bluetooth on my way to and from work.
- At work, I don’t have an open, flat network, like at home. Multiple networks, VLANs and subnets means that I can’t use Airplay to connect to my laptop’s speakers. Instead, I connect the iPhone to an ad-hoc wireless network I have setup on my Macbook Pro. I make sure I have Internet Connection Sharing on sharing my ethernet connection to my wi-fi so, while I am connected, I can refresh or browse the web. I use Airplay to push the audio from the iPhone to Airfoil Speakers from Rogue Amoeba. It works flawlessly most of the time, although sometimes it requires me to disable the shared network connection and re-enable it.
- I have just added Dan Benjamin’s 5by5 app (iTunes link) to the mix to listen in on the shows live. Considering I listen to a good number of Dan’s podcasts, I figure I can start to jump into the live shows and then catch the podcast versions if I am not at my desk during the original broadcast.
- After using the Jabra Cruiser to listen on my way home, Downcast uses geofencing to automatically update my feeds.
