Podcatcher Review - Catch your podcasts

Windows Telephone has a little problem for those of united states of america exterior the USA, it will not permit subscribing and downloading podcasts from the handset. Similar any problem it has spawned a solution, when it comes to podcasts 'many' solutions. One of the latest to tackle this result is Podcatcher, information technology has been on the market for only a short while merely since its release it has been the discipline of many rapid fire updates.

As of yesterday the app had been bumped to version ii.0 and with it comes a long list of changes and improvements. We thought it was fourth dimension we took a closer wait at this podcasting newcomer to run into how it stacks up. Could this exist your ultimate podcasting solution? Read on..

If you lot are a fan of podcasts then you'll need to find an app that volition help sate your thirst for new episodes. Podcatcher is designed from the ground upwards to allow quick discovery of popular podcasts and the painless ability to subscribe and download quickly. Besides, like any good podcast app information technology will retrieve where you left off in a podcast then that you don't take to worry almost finding your place once more.

Setup

Afterward yous have downloaded the app to your telephone from the Windows Phone Store you'll be presented with a rather bare Subscriptions folio. Yous are invited to add some which you do by pressing the little + button at the lesser of the screen. The first page you are presented with is a listing of 'popular' podcasts.

Subsciptions, calculation a popular podcast, searching for 1..

If you see nothing that takes your fancy from that modest choice then you can ignore these, swipe over to the right and you lot'll exist presented with a search box. You can search for the proper name of the podcast if you know information technology or merely use a keyword if you lot're simply browsing. Once y'all notice what you are looking for hit the subscribe push button and information technology will exist added to your subscriptions list, filling that empty void.

If you are having problems searching out a podcast you can manually add the RSS feed into the app and it volition grab the subscription that way. If you happen to apply the gPodder service you can enter in your credentials to grab all you subscriptions in one go.

Subscriptions

One time you have your podcast subscriptions setup you volition now have the pick to view the content description of each episode and of grade the choice to download at your volition or but stream it. For each subscription there is a settings button at the bottom of the screen, if y'all hit that yous can choose to auto-update your podcasts. When it is on, new episodes for the given subscription volition exist downloaded to your device. Great and simple.

Subscriptions listing, episodes bachelor, download and series settings

We would like to see the discoverability of new podcasts improved, for someone that is completely new to podcasts the selection of popular shows could be better. Instead of greeting the first time user with a blank screen information technology might be better to suggest a curated listing of podcasts based on interest or offering a niggling guidance on how to best go about searching for content.

Settings

Within the settings of the app you can likewise cull to enable 'automatically continue playback', normal behaviour would be Podcatcher asking you each time if yous want to continue where yous left off. If y'all enable this function it will merely do information technology without prompting you, taking to where you need to exist. Y'all as well have the option to delete whatever listened-to podcasts saving a little scrap of time. Another selection available is the choice of trying to download the podcast using your cellular data programme, although the restriction is hard set to cypher more 20MB by the Windows Telephone operating arrangement. Nosotros'd really similar to run into Microsoft allow us more command over how we apply our data plan but that is no fault of the app.

What is here works well and there is a sure pleasure to just how simple and straightforward it is. We wouldn't exist doing our job if we didn't point out that nosotros'd like to encounter a department built in to bear witness how much space the podcasts are taking up on the device with an pick to articulate it all.

In use

Downloading episodes is a breeze and the power to see the progress visually is a welcome improver equally is the dedicated list of the downloaded content. When information technology comes to playback the app supports background audio and then even if you move away from the app it volition keep playing. Believe information technology or not there are still apps out there that don't get this right. When you use the skip controls within the app they kick yous along in xxx second chunks, yous also have a nice large slider to motion through the podcast past dragging information technology to where you lot desire.

The app moves with purpose and feels calorie-free on its anxiety, navigation, playback and usage are all dealt with swiftly. We would actually like to see more emphasis put on providing users with help and tips just for anyone that is familiar with a podcast app they shouldn't have any bug.

Features Specific to the ii.0 Update

• Import your subscriptions from gPodder.cyberspace.
• Subscribe to podcasts that require authentication.
• Replace player pivot view with play history view for current and recent episodes.
• Replace one activeness push button in episodes with two separate buttons for play/stream and download.
• Add a view to the subscriptions that shows downloaded episodes.
• Set: do not lose download queue afterward restart.
• Other UI improvements
• Bug fixes including crash on WP8

Summing up

Podcatcher is coming along very nicely; we take decided to review information technology now in light of how much attending it has been getting from the developer. What we see here is a solid podcast app that does exactly what it says on the tin without any graphical nonsense or ugly UI elements polluting the experience. While information technology is a solid app information technology feels geared towards those that know nigh podcasts and nosotros'd like to see more emphasis put on initial podcast discovery.

A brusque tutorial or walkthrough at first launch would amend the experience immensely particularly for a newcomer. There are also some boosted tweaks and settings nosotros'd like to see such as the ability to come across how much space these podcasts are consuming on the phone and an easy way to wipe them all at one or via checkboxes. We'd likewise like to encounter the power to pivot subscriptions to the start screen for piece of cake admission as well every bit time to come updates to employ Windows Telephone eight's unique new abilities. Double-broad now playing tile?

These are all of course wants and wishes but for the moment the app does what information technology says and information technology does information technology very well indeed. There are many apps in the Windows Phone Store that even though popular still neglect to get these basics correct. Now the app has a solid foundation on which to build nosotros look forward to seeing how it progresses. If you are in the market for a solid performer you lot should certainly requite Podcatcher a spin, yous might just similar it.

The app costs US $1.49 and you lot'll accept the risk to effort it out for free, the trial allows only ii subscriptions to exist added. Donwload from the Windows Phone Store here. You tin can also take hold of the app using the QR code beneath.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/podcatcher-review-catch-your-podcasts

Posted by: jordanmandes.blogspot.com

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