Best RSS / podcast apps?

[Demosthenes]

Can anyone recommend some good RSS and podcast applications? I presume they can work happily over WiFi or cellular.

[Waveydavey001]

What is wrong with Nokias own Podcasting application?

I think its quite good and you can paste OPML files into it to create a directory and subscribe to. This includes RSS feeds if you want. An OPML file I use (as an example) is here

[habbe]

The "nokia podcaster" app works or me..

One itchy thing is i doesn't disconnect after download...

[Waveydavey001]

Originally Posted by habbe

The "nokia podcaster" app works or me..

One itchy thing is i doesn't disconnect after download...

Yeah, I think that it is assumed that people who have the N95 have some wonderful internet access package (like I do) so you have to activley exit the app. However you can set up the app to access once a day if you want (and use your home Wi-Fi connection). I set mine to check for updates once a day about an hour before i leave for work. Only problem then is eating memory (not an issue at that time) and eating battery, always a problem with the N95

Thanks for those who looked at the OPML file. Hope you found them useful. I really like em. I can't link to my blog (against the rules but I don't know why as most people can quite sensibly ignore it) but i put some stuff on there about OPML and OPML manager. If you are interested I've reproduced it below. I perhaps should have posted it elsewhere, but if anyone has any must have links for my OPML pages please let me know. Sorry about the lazyness of the links, but its hard work when you are a busy bee.

I've been playing around on a website called OPML manager which, as you may guess, creates and manages OPML files (outline Files) that are often used for Podasting Feeds, but also pretty good for transportable Favourites lists for Mobile Phones.

Firstly I was just mucking about and looking to create a favourites file that i could access on the PC, Laptop, at Work and also on the mobile phone. I soon realised that the website itself offered different views of the same OPML file that gives differing uses.

Firstly, I created my own feed, but then tried a more generic feed looking at Nokia N95 RSS and Podcasting stuff.

This link N95RSS when pasted into the Nokia Podcasting Application provides a folder with subscribible feeds including MP3 podcasts and RSS links opened via the web. Very handy and easy to personalise.

I then decided to go one further and look at creating a whole set of Mobile Web site links. Lets face it the N95 browser is ace for looking at web sites, but for general everyday browsing on the phone its better to look at mobile optimised web sites (still find it very annoying when it defaults that way such as the BBC).

So the output of this experiment was this mobilewebsites a starter for ten. If you know of any really great mobile web sites (I have a UK slant) that I should add, please let me know.

I then saw a link for optimising the look for mobile phones, which looks like this opmlmanager.com - Mobile browsing Looks pretty good don't it?

However, one of the features of OPML Manager is being able to look at OPML files in outline format. I think that this is an even better format for display on a Mobile Phone as it is expandable/collapsible. See this opmlmanager.com - Outliner. A much better format in my view.

There are lots of other things that can be done, such as exporting the OPML, creating a bitty etc, but i am quite happy hosting on the site and have also created myself another OPML file loosely based around the Nokia N95 which can also be displayed in all formats, but detailed in outliner format below

opmlmanager.com - Outliner

See what you think

[Dubilog]

Hiya. I am trying to subscribe to various podcasts that I used to listen to on my laptop. The search function of the Nokia Podcasting app won't find them, so I have tried to find a direct link. But I am at a loss. For example, I want to listn to the IGN podcasts, but simply can't get them on my n95. I know i could put in a direct URL, but I can't find it. Tried google, but is there a way...?

Love podcasts, would love to get them really going on the N95, and any help very appreciated!

[thaian]

Hi all,
I like to have some great radio programs (being Swedish I love www.sr.se ) and last night's TV news downloaded automatically to my N95overnight as I charge it. The key word for me is AUTOMATICALLY, so this is what I've done:

1. I use the free program Doppler (Doppler : Redefining podcasting) to download my feeds/podcasts automatically to a folder H:\MyPodcasts on my PC.
2. I use the free program Allway Sync (allwaysync.com) to automatically synchronize the PC folder H:\MyPodcasts to the N95 folder E:\podcasts that I've created.

[thaian]

The Doppler features I like are that it checks for new feeds automatically, and I have precise control over how many/old/big files will be downloaded and which old ones will be deleted individually for each feed (This control you don't have in iTunes or Nokia's own Podcast application for instance). This is important since my podcast occupy close to 1 GB and it would soon get my N95 out of memory if I couldn't control it this way.

The Allway Sync features I like are that it can monitor a folder (e.g. H:\MyPodcasts) for changes or detect when a new USB mass storage device is detected and start synchronization thereafter. (However, you might have to suppress some warnings and errors to have it run automatically if you trigger on file change but don't have your N95 connected). Unfortunately, the Sync of Nokia's PC Suite cannot be set to delete the files on my N95 which Doppler have deleted on my computer, so this application is useless for my file synchronization.

[thaian]

Ok, this all works pretty well, but I have I few thought on which I'd like your comments:

• A) My Doppler version 2.9.5.2 is a beta and there is something wrong with the feed naming mechanism, such that the first part of the usually long file names are identical. If you then have 5 days of worth of your favorite radio program copied to the phone, they all look the same in the N95 file manager since you only see the first part. Possible solutions could be: i) change to another Podaggregator than Doppler with even more control, ii) have the file creation somehow displayed in the N95 file manager or have the names scroll (before you start playing). Comments? How to do? Other solutions?
• B) My podcasts are either in the format mp3 or mp4. These files I can play through the file manager (I just find them there and press play) but I didn't manage to get them into the music player and the gallery. How do I do that?

[thaian]

• C) To get a path in windows (e.g. E:\podcasts) to which the Allway Sync can copy the files I must either i) connect the N95 over USB as mass storage and then I cannot use PC Suit for messaging, etc, or ii) use SymSMBv2 to make my N95 appear as a network share over WLAN. Problem with ii) is that I don't get to be automatic: SymSMB always need some interaction in order to be started, activated, etc even though I've tried to set all to automatic mode. I now wonder if there is any way to get a windows path (e.g. E:\podcasts) to my N95 using bluetooth connection or USB with PC Suite?

Thanks for help and comments

[Waveydavey001]

Originally Posted by Dubilog

Hiya. I am trying to subscribe to various podcasts that I used to listen to on my laptop. The search function of the Nokia Podcasting app won't find them, so I have tried to find a direct link. But I am at a loss. For example, I want to listn to the IGN podcasts, but simply can't get them on my n95. I know i could put in a direct URL, but I can't find it. Tried google, but is there a way...?

Love podcasts, would love to get them really going on the N95, and any help very appreciated!

Hi

Have you looked at OPML manager I mentioned in my last post. I ask this because I found IGN podcasts at IGN Games Podcasts. I dunno if this is the one.

I have now added this as a link to N95RSS OPML file which I have already entered in my Nokia N95 podcasting app and 2 minutes later was downloading the first podcast.

To do this first open the Podcasting app, then Open "Directories".

1. Options - New - Web Directory
2. Enter the OPML file address.
3. Click Done

It is now a directory. Open the directory and subscribe to the podcast that you want.