Consumers and end-users are constantly looking for ways to expand the functionality of the Pocket PC. One of the most innovative ways is to participate in "podcasting," a new media movement that surfaced in October of this year. Podcasting is a way to broadcast audio content online. Similar to a text-based Web log ("blog"), podcasting lets people post their opinions and thoughts on the Web in audio form. Currently, there are no controls, regulations, or censoring activities associated with podcasting. All you need is a way to digitally record whatever it is you want to "podcast," using a setup as simple as a computer and a microphone. You can record your thoughts on any subject, conduct live interviews, add background music, and more. Podcasts are typically saved in MP3 format and vary in audio quality and file size, depending on the bit rate you use during the recording process. You can think of a podcast as an online radio talk show. After recording the audio file, the podcaster creates an "RSS feed" file that describes the podcast and location of the audio file. Visit the Wikipedia online encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast) for more information on the creation of RSS feed files and other podcasting topics.
How do I listen to podcasts?
Although some skill is needed to publish a podcast, downloading and listening to them is easy. Special programs similar to the news aggregators that handle RSS subscription feeds have been developed to automate this process. (Read more on news aggregators and RSS subscription feeds on page 67 of the August/September 2004 issue, or see it at: http://www.pocketpcmag.com/_archives/sep04/Online.aspx.)
There are several options available to pull podcasts down from the Web. For this article, we'll focus on the installation, configuration, and use of Doppler, a Windows desktop PC program that lets you subscribe to podcast feeds and automatically pull the audio content down to your computer.
1. Download and install the current version of Doppler on your desktop PC. Go to the DopplerRadio Web site (http://www.dopplerradio.net) and click on the Download link in the right-hand column. This will take you to a page where you can download the program, and also describes how to install it. Skip the part about uninstalling Doppler RC1 unless you've installed the previous version of the program. Note also that you will need to install Microsoft's .NET framework version 1.1 in order for Doppler to work. If you utilize Microsoft's Windows Update feature, there is a good chance you have already installed .NET Framework 1.1. You can verify if you have installed it by going to the Start menu on your desktop PC and clicking on Settings>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs. If you see "Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1" in the Installed Programs list, you can run Doppler. If .NET Framework 1.1 is not listed, download it from Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads). Once you install it and Doppler, a shortcut icon for Doppler will appear in your system tray (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1: Once installed on your desktop PC, the Doppler icon appears on your system tray. In this screen shot, it is immediately to the left of the time.
2. Click the shortcut icon in your system tray to run the program. When you do this, three options are displayed: Maximize, Retrieve Now, and Exit. Choose Maximize to display Doppler's main screen (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2: Doppler's main screen.
3. Add new feeds. The software comes preconfigured with a test channel feed. Before going any further, you will want to add new feeds and configure the application settings. Click the Add Feed button (lower right) and the Feed entry screen is displayed (Fig. 3). The URL field is the only required field on this screen.
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