Instacast - podcast management done right — 14 Nov 2011

Instacast is one of those apps that lives on the homescreen of my iPhone, along with Twitter, Instagram or Simplenote.

As awkward as podcast management is on iTunes, it is simple and easy on Instacast. It will import your existing subscriptions, and offer you access to an amazing directory of existing podcasts you've never heard of.

I actually discover new podcasts with Instacast, something that never happened with iTunes.

Instacast preloads episodes when connected to WiFi for later listening, or you can choose to stream one on the go. The show notes are easily available which is a plus.

The player is simple and effective, eventhough I would have liked a 2x speed control. You can achieve the same effect by pressing on the fast forward button. A nice feature is that it remembers the last playback position of each episode. (Tips: video podcasts are played in landscape view).

I would have used a 'Back' button to switch from the player to the show notes, rather than an 'up/down' arrow which I found confusing at first.

Other than that, go out and get it if you don't already use it.