A podcast is like a radio show that you can listen to at your convenience. If you have a hectic schedule and work 50 hours or more per week, then pod casting is definitely for you.

Audio media broadcasting, otherwise known as, podcasting on demand is ideal for small business owners and professionals. Now you can listen to shows anywhere and anytime.

What is the difference between a radio broadcast and a downloadable broadcast?

The norm for years has been to listen to a favorite radio talk show at a preprogrammed time. For example, we tune into our radio talk show every Saturday at 10 a.m. What happens when you have to leave town for a business conference? Let’s say at exactly 10 a.m. Saturday morning you'll be attending a lecture at a conference. You could have someone record your favorite radio talk show, but that's would be cumbersome and time-consuming. There are convenient alternatives with podcasts.

What if you could download an audio media broadcasts i.e. podcasts onto your Pocket PC, iPod, computer or MP3 player? It sure would be convenient. You could listen to the show on the plane ride back home or while you go to on a nightly stroll with your dog. The difference between a radio show and a downloadable broadcast is simply that you can download it to a digital recorder or any of the devices mentioned above. Remember, a radio talk show is a show that you have to tune into at a specific preprogrammed time and which you can't download to your computer, iPod Pocket PC or MP3 player. You can only listen to it on your radio.

Can you still download podcasts without an iPod MP3 player?

Yes. If you don't have an Apple iPod player, it is not a problem. Maybe podcasts listeners think you need to own an iPod in order to listen to podcasts. There are two advantages for iPod users:

• iPods have a much longer battery life than other devices.
• IPods have much more storage space than a typical Pocket PC.

• Pocket PC standard 12 cm x 16 cm screen is much larger than the tiny 2.5 in.² iPod screen
• Pocket PC lets you have a wider selection of podcasts readers or feed aggregators
• If you have a WiFi Pocket PC, you can pull a podcasts feeds from the Internet without turning on your computer. You just need an Internet connection.
• Most audio media broadcasts are stored in a compressed format MP3 or MP file, so if you have between 1-2 GB storage card it is more than adequate.

Follow these instructions to begin creating and publishing your first podcasts on a Pocket PC.

1. You'll need a recorder to create an audio file
2. Update the podcasts XML file
3. Upload the podcasts file onto a web server

A Pocket PC records a wav file, which is an uncompressed format. When you record your own podcasts don't make the same mistake I did. I recorded a voice file on my mobile blue MP3 player and purchased a software program called: Smart audio converter.com. I spent hours converting the wav files to MP3 file format. Instead of repeating my hair pulling procedure, I recommend that you download: www.freewareppc.com/multimedia/notem.shtml on to your Pocket PC. This absolutely amazing utility lets you record your audio files directly as MP3 files.

Recording podcasts is easy to do if you use the right equipment and software. There are some digital voice recorders which allow you to record directly to MP3 format:

• Pogo's radio your way
• S-Media's gp 2000 digital music player
• RCA’s Lyra
• Frontier Labs Nex 3t

All of the MP3 data recorders above come with standard built-in mic, Sd card expansion slot and a line in recording as an MP3 format.

Most of the emphasis in this article is on Pocket PCs and digital voice recorders within the Windows platform. However, you can create podcasts with an iPod player using the Apple operating system.

1. If you're going to use one of the digital recording devices recommend above, begin by recording your first audio file. To test it, record yourself reading a paragraph for one to three minutes. After you've completed your first audio recording with either a digital recording device or your Pocket PC, remove the S. D. card from your digital recording player and attach it to your Pocket PC. If you're going to use your Pocket PC, remember to go to the web site are recommended above where you can download a utility, which will allow you to record your audio file directly as an MP3 format.
2. Find a free WiFi hotspot or to this in your home office. It's a good idea for your first time recording to be done in a quiet environment without any background noise. Use the Internet connection to download this free FTP program for your Pocket PC called, FTP view at www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en4/index.php?soft=99.
3. Transfer or FTP the podcasts XML file that you've recorded on your Pocket PC to your web site using the free FTP program mentioned above.
4. Before You Submit Your Podcasts Feed to a Podcasts Directory Validate your podcasts feed. To make sure your podcasts feed is valid, go to www.feedvalidator.org. Cut and paste your podcasts XML file into the empty field and click on the validate button. If your blog URL address is my blog, then the URL you need to cut and paste would be http://www.myblog/index.xml . If you see an orange RSS button with a check mark, it means you were successful in validating your XML podcasting feed. If your feed is not validated, you need to fix it. Otherwise, people will have difficult= to subscribe and listen to your audio podcasts. If you're proficient in programming in XML language, you'll have no problem validating or fixing your XML feed.
5. To make this a stress-free experience, I recommend editing podcasts XML files right onto your desktop computer. If this is not possible go to either: feedforall.com or http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/PodcastFactory-main.html  to edit your podcasts XML file. The M-audio podcast factory is all you need to start podcasting. If you're going to edit your XML file on your desktop computer, transfer this feed onto your Pocket PC.
6. If you're a programmer and know how to work with XML documents, you can enter the title, description, enclosure name and publication date. I used the XML editor at www.logicalsky.com . This Pocket PC application is called: CEdit. What's really handy about CEdit is that your URL is color coded. When you can see it at a quick glance it’s easier to edit the XML files.
7. Submit your podcasts theater XML documents so others can subscribe and listen to your live audio broadcasts at a time that's convenient for them.

• www.jpodder.com
• www.primetimepodcast.com
• www.podcast.net
• www.podcastelley.com
• http://podcasts.yahoo.com/
• http://www.podcastdirectory.com/
• http://www.apple.com/podcasting/
• http://podfeed.net/
• www.melodeo.com

Audiobay.com

There is a way around going back and forth from the Pocket PC to test, create and publish podcasts live on the Internet. Audio Bay, an innovative company http://www.voiceatom.com/audiobay/  lets you create downloadable episodes of audio programs straight onto your Pocket PC. All you need is an Internet connection and a Pocket PC to publish, download and listen to your podcasts. The last time I checked Audio Bay’s web site, the podcasts software was only $27.95.

There are three easy-to-use functions: Publish, Download and Listen. If you don't know how to create an XML document, Audio Bay will automatically generate a compliant RSS feed without you doing anything. Audio bay is also itunes compliant. They make it so easy to use that even a sixth grade student can create podcast of his or her favorite lesson and share it with theirs classmates. For only $7.95, you can activate the VoiceAtom Pro Podcast Hosting, which allows you to transfer 5 GB of files per month. This means if you have up to a thousand audio podcasts subscribers, that they would be able to listen to your podcasts created on your Pocket PC. This is one of the most economical podcasts hosting fees on the Internet.

Podcasting Technology -- Personal on Demand

With the right software, equipment and knowledge about podcasting and audio media broadcasting you can experience quite the adventure. Imagine creating your own radio talk show and having loyal listeners tune in on a regular basis. The definition of audio media broadcast means: using software on your Windows PC or Apple Macintosh computer to subscribe to Web feeds of audio programs recorded in MP3 format.

Have you ever heard of XML or extensible markup language (xml)? XML is similar to HTML in that both use tags to describe the text information on a web site. HTML tags display information while XML uses tags to describe the information. Have you heard of RSS or real simple syndication? RSS is a technology that provides constantly updated news, press releases, podcasts and stories to your computer in real-time. Pop testing uses RSS, an XML based format to deliver audio broadcast to your audio enabled PDA, notebook, computer or Pocket PC. The audio files are sent like e-mail attachments and are routed directly to the folders on your computer labeled “my music” or “my library”. If you are a Pocket PC user you can subscribe to a podcasts directory and download an RSS reader onto the Pocket PC and without having to synchronize the podcasts XML file onto the digital audio player for playback. Once you have subscribed to a podcasts directory, you can get regular updated pod cast or audio broadcasts delivered to your podcasts aggregator or reader. You then have two choices: if you're not a Pocket PC user, you can listen to the podcasts on your computer. Or you can listen to your podcasts on your iPod, MP3 player, digital enabled PDA or Pocket PC. There is an extra step required for synchronizing the podcasts file from your computer to your portable device.

What Is a Podcasts File?

It is either an audio MP3 file or a video file. These files are saved as compressed audio format or as a wav file. To avoid extra steps in recording professional podcasts, it's best to choose a software or digital record player that will allow you to record the audio podcasts directly as an MP3 formatted file. You can download specific audio episodes of podcasts programs right onto your computer. The podcasts audio file is pulled by the podcasts aggregator or podcast podcatching software using an Internet connection.

The term iPod was inspired by the popularity of Apple's iPod personal player. Another term for podcasting is personal on demand.

How Does a Podcasts Feed Work?

An audio broadcast or podcasts both have enclosure tags showing attributes that describe the URL of the media file, as well as what is the media file type (MP3 or video). Podcasts are delivered when you subscribe to RSS feeds. Once you’ve logged onto your podcasts reader or aggregator it will show you the most up-to-date podcasts episode with headlines and a short description. A podcasts reader can also be called pod catching software.

Pod Casting Is a New Phenomena and Less Than One Year Old

As new podcasts or audio episodes become available, your pod catching software will automatically download this new audio programming onto your pod casting aggregator.

7 Pod Casting Tips - Fresh Audio Delivered to Your Pocket PC

1. Pocket PC users should upgrade storage cards to either 512 MB, or 1-2 GB of storage. If you download one hour long podcasts, even if the MP3 files compress, you can easily take up a lot of memory on your Pocket PC. www.kingston.com offers inexpensive compact flash storage cards with a full life time warranty.
2. Switch off the WiFi and Bluetooth wireless settings while you are listening to your audio broadcast to save battery life.
3. Turn the Pocket PC screen off again to preserve your battery life. This is easy to do.
4. Change the voice recording setting from the standard 800 Hz mono (8 kb/s) to 11,025 Hz, 8-bit, mono (11 kb/s). When I did this, the recording quality improved. I no sounder like I was talking into a tin can or talking underwater.
5. Test your audio podcast recording and change the settings. Play it back on your laptop, desktop, or Pocket PC and you'll hear a significant difference in sound quality as you listen from one device to the next.
6. Go to: http://mobile-sg.com/pie/rss.jsp and get a script to convert the RSS feed to an HTML interface. Save this web site on your Pocket PC. Optimize the RSS feed so it will display nicely on your small Pocket PC screen. Simply cut and paste the URL of the podcasts feed you want to see into the field or box, then select convert to RSS. This saves you from having to download pod catching software onto your Pocket PC device.
7. Consider purchasing a gomadic sync n'charge adapter. The USB end of the gomadic charge system will connect to a universal AC wall charger or a universal cigarette lighter for your car. The other end of the adapter tip is a 1.8 mm female jack that connects to your Pocket PC. For only $39.95, your kit comes with a retractable USB sync and charge retractable cable, a USB universal charger, and a USB universal car charger. For an additional $19.05 you can get an emergency backup charger as well. If you don't own a car or don't have the power supply, you can plug the Pocket PC with four AA batteries to the charger unit. For more information, please go to www.gomadic.com.
8. Boost the volume of your podcasts episode with the Boostaroo revolution at www.boostaroo.com. This unit is only $79.95. This volume booster doubles the volume of your Pocket PC. It's powered by two AAAA batteries and amplifies audio files even when playing games. If it's not comfortable for you to plug a headset when playing back your favorite podcasts episode, Boostaroo revolution offers a great option. It connects to your headphone jack on your Pocket PC, so it'll work on most portable devices.

Source: Smartphone & Pocket PC Jun/Jul 2006 Issue

Rene is on the look out for mobile devices to enhance her productivity. This website cuts to the chase and has valued information on: camera cell phone deals and which is the best podcasting solution available for your Pocket PC or smart phone.

If you have any questions regarding this article please submit a comment on my blog at: Cell Phone Ratings Blog

Looking for Geospatial podcasts? We suggest you look at this GIS podcast directory right here at GISuser - for weekly podcasts see also our friends at Very Spatial (www.veryspatial.com)