drPodder (a.k.a. PrePod)

[drnull]

Really, really great feedback! Let me address some of these things quickly so I don't have to quote the message.
**edit, well, that doesn't work since this went to a new page.

Originally Posted by muppet_funk

1. Displaying titles: In both the feed listing and episode listing, is it possible to either scroll the titles or wrap them onto multiple rows?

I'd like to keep the interface free from wrapping in lists, I just think that will get messy. I'm going to add in a replacement option for episode names, and you can name the feed whatever you want. Do you think that will solve the problem? (or at least make it more acceptable?) Also, the entire episode name is displayed on the episode details (player) page

2. I have to go to the episode screen sometime after the d/l has completed and then back to the feed listing to get the counter to update.

Heh, you noticed, eh? That's sloppy/just-get-it-done coding on my part, and once background downloading is working, this should function correctly.

3. "Mark All Listened"

There is a mark all listened option, on the feed list page. Just tap the small icons to the right to get the popup. You also get to the edit feed page here, where you can change the title. (Yeah, I know, it's unintuitive). Maybe it should be on the Episode List as well, as you mentioned, since that's where you looked for it.

1. Will we have to open the card to let the schedule run, or do you think you'll be able to automatically wake the application up on a schedule?

This has to happen in the background without the card open, otherwise it's not much better than what I have right now. I need to look into it still, but I know other people have done this, so the answers are out there.

2. BeyondPod for WM has a nice feature where it can switch on the WiFi radio when it wakes up to download content and the shut that radio back off when it's done.

I definitely want to give the option to automatically turn on wifi/only download when on wifi.

3. Catch-up mode: for stuff like Paudio books (audio books delivered a chapter at a time via rss), you want to start with the oldest episode first.

Well that's something I've never even heard of. But I can understand the need. We'll put that one a ways down on the list, ok?

[BMIC50]

drnull,

Thanks for the responses! I downloaded 0.3.1 and I was able to download one full epidsode of The Tech Guy. I just downloaded a second to verify that its fixed. Havent verified the pause issue yet, but I will once work permits.

[muppet_funk]

Thanks for the quick response!

Originally Posted by drnull

I'd like to keep the interface free from wrapping in lists, I just think that will get messy. I'm going to add in a replacement option for episode names, and you can name the feed whatever you want. Do you think that will solve the problem? (or at least make it more acceptable?) Also, the entire episode name is displayed on the episode details (player) page

I can see not wrapping the feed names. That probably would look cluttered on that screen. Personally, even with the ep names avail on the player page, and even when name replacement is ready, I'd still like to see the original names wrapped on the ep list. I've got some feeds that give good, detailed ep names, and I'd like to see them listed that way when I'm choosing which one to listen to. I don't want to tap into and swipe back out of each one in order to decide which to listen to. Might just be my preference. And maybe that's the answer... give an option for wrapping in a Preferences screen somewhere... maybe on the same screen where we would set up name replacement.

Originally Posted by drnull

There is a mark all listened option, on the feed list page. Just tap the small icons to the right to get the popup. You also get to the edit feed page here, where you can change the title. (Yeah, I know, it's unintuitive). Maybe it should be on the Episode List as well, as you mentioned, since that's where you looked for it.

Ah, didn't even realize those icons led to a menu. That'll work. I do think on the ep list is more intuitive though. It's when I'm looking at all those episodes that I think "hey, these should all be marked as read."

Originally Posted by drnull

This has to happen in the background without the card open, otherwise it's not much better than what I have right now. I need to look into it still, but I know other people have done this, so the answers are out there.

Yeah, I figure if the calendar can deliver notifications w/o its card being open, then the basic mechanism to fire an event w/o the card being open must be in there somewhere. Here's to hoping you can figure it out without too much hassle.

Originally Posted by drnull

Well that's something I've never even heard of. But I can understand the need. We'll put that one a ways down on the list, ok?

I don't think I've seen it implemented on any podcatcher anywhere yet. Something to set you apart if you can figure it out!

[muppet_funk]

Oh, and one more, then I'll shut up on this for while...

Would love to have variable speed playback so I can digest some of those talk shows a little faster.

[BMIC50]

GREAT APP!!!! Kinoma now has a standard!

Add a library like Kinoma where users can submit feeds and add support for video and submit this to the App store!! I'd defintely pay up to $10 or even allow ads to pop up (a la Accuweather)!

[drnull]

Originally Posted by BMIC50

...or even allow ads to pop up (a la Accuweather)!

*shivers* YUCK.

Thanks for the kind words, though! Kinoma was my favorite podcast player back on Windows Mobile, but they've shown no incentive to get over to the Pre. Plus, they got a little big for their boots with their latest version, wanting to replace your whole today screen with that heavy app... no thanks.

[Addie_Goodvibes]

THIS IS AWESOME! I like your choic eof preloaded Netcasts!

TWIT!

Thanks!!

[pico23]

This works awesome. Paypal donate coming at some point soon.

I was hesitant to DL it because of the bug issues, and google reader mobile is working fine for streaming, although your interface is way better.

However, I work in a bunker a few days a month, and have no cell or wifi. so I dl my podcast via PrePod the night before, and then listen to them.

If you are streaming Google Reader is fine, it works, but if you want more functionality PrePod is the bomb.

I hope you keep building out this app. Not sure what else I would add, and it seemed stabile as hell to me and did everything I need. Personally, I like streamlined programs that do what they should well, I listened to 4 hours of DL'd podcast today without a single hangup while multitasking (web, RSS reader, text, email, twitter) and it worked perfectly.

[cajunlibra]

Since this app has become so popular I dont' want to read every post in the thread.

I was wondering if you could give us the option of Play All from a cast that we select. THis is handy when you fall behind and listen to a lot of them from the same feed back to back. I've used MP3 players for podcasts before.

Also, the option for "Auto-delete" after a podcast has been read would be awesome.

Keep up the good work.

[curiousobserver]

Originally Posted by drnull

Seems to work with Engadget Try out your favorite and if it doesn't work I'll try to find out why!

When I play the gdgt podcast on my ipod, the album art will change along with the storyline. I wonder if you plan to implement this in the future? I know this is not hugely important; just a nicety.

[cshrader]

I second the wrapped or scrolling names for episodes. My favorite feed (Dave Ramsey show) puts the date and hour of each episode at the end of the title. I have to open every episode to figure out which one is which.

[drnull]

Originally Posted by cajunlibra

I was wondering if you could give us the option of Play All from a cast that we select. THis is handy when you fall behind and listen to a lot of them from the same feed back to back. I've used MP3 players for podcasts before.

I'll put it on the list.

Also, the option for "Auto-delete" after a podcast has been read would be awesome.

This is done, and will be out in the next few days. (I think you can see it on the screenshot below...)

Originally Posted by curiousobserver

When I play the gdgt podcast on my ipod, the album art will change along with the storyline. I wonder if you plan to implement this in the future? I know this is not hugely important; just a nicety.

This is a feature called Enhanced AAC, I believe. I do not know if the HTML5 audio object which Palm is exposing for us (and to which I can find very little documentation) supports enhanced aac access. I know it plays them, but I don't know if I can extract the chapter markings you're referring to.

Originally Posted by cshrader

I second the wrapped or scrolling names for episodes. My favorite feed (Dave Ramsey show) puts the date and hour of each episode at the end of the title. I have to open every episode to figure out which one is which.

Do you think this will be sufficient? It doesn't look like the date & hour are at the end of the title, instead, they are at the end of the description. I had already planned on devoting the "second" line area of the Episode List to the "pubDate" from the feed (which is what you're seeing above). Again, I'd really like to avoid the line wrapping in the list. It introduces the problem of having varying sized list rows, and potentially very large rows depending on the feed.

This version will be released in the next few days, I need to use it for a day or so to make sure it feels right.

[cajunlibra]

I'm not sure if this is within the scope of this wonderful app, but would it be possible to have each podcast set to genre Podcast automatically? That way, if we chose to listen to our podcasts in the player, we can listen to all podcasts just by choosing Genre. If Palm kept track of the number of times a file is played, your app could mark it as listened if we chose to listen to the casts in another app such as the player and they would then be marked for deletion.

Does your Delete when Finished feature delete only tracks that have been played through? I notice that this app holds your place.

Thanks so much. I think this is easily a $1-$2 app.

[drnull]

Originally Posted by cajunlibra

I'm not sure if this is within the scope of this wonderful app, but would it be possible to have each podcast set to genre Podcast automatically? That way, if we chose to listen to our podcasts in the player, we can listen to all podcasts just by choosing Genre.

Does your Delete when Finished feature delete only tracks that have been played through? I notice that this app holds your place.

Another player? How dare you! (j/k, of course...) Seriously, though, I don't think palm has exposed any method to edit the tags in the mp3 files. Sorry!

"Delete when finished" only applies to the moment when you finish listening to the podcast, so yes, only tracks that have been played through are affected, and only on feeds where you have selected "Delete when finished".

[jamiehs]

The catch up mode (play oldest first) is good for podcasts like Tech5. The Zune software lets you specify that option. It's a good thing to have but only really matters if you have continuous play.

[TreoRock]

Hi, I like the podcast date, but I don't know if the time for the podcast is really needed. In case you are keeping the time could you show it in the am/pm format?

I love PrePod, It has been a long time since I enjoyed listening to podcasts...

[jamiehs]

By the way, I LOVE THIS APP! I streamed one of my favorite podcasts in the car on my way home... don't get any better than that. I was surprised "the now network" kept up, but then again, Sprint's service has been really quick for me since I got my Pre.

[Divide By Zero]

Originally Posted by drnull

Lastly, episode names are exactly the way they show up in the feed. Some feeds are just bad about putting the feed name in _every_ _single_ episode name. That's why I want to add an option for "strings to replace" in episode names. So that "Buzz Out Loud 1027: ..." could be shortened to "BOL 1027: ..." and actually show up in the listing.

I think it would be easier to code, and probably satisfactory to users, to just check the beginning of the episode name string (filename, mp3 tag, I don't know where it's stored) and see if it starts with the name of the podcast, and if it does, drop it entirely. To borrow from your example: "Buzz Out Loud 1027: Buzz Out Loud Feedback" just displays in the app as "1027: Buzz Out Loud Feedback". Whether it retains the original tag/filename/?? in the file system depends on how friendly you care to be with the built-in music app; it could make the search-by-song-title function a bit wonky.

I love the new progress bars. This update is great.

[Divide By Zero]

Originally Posted by drnull

You should be able to install it via file coaster, yes. I've tried on the emulator and it worked fine.

Originally Posted by CommanderCup

Can this not be installed with file coaster?

I installed it with File Coaster on the hardware, not emulator. No problem - went a lot faster than I'd've expected to boot.

[drnull]

Originally Posted by jamiehs

The catch up mode (play oldest first) is good for podcasts like Tech5. The Zune software lets you specify that option. It's a good thing to have but only really matters if you have continuous play.

Sounds good, I'll probably put in a couple of "play from" options, "from oldest", "from oldest downloaded", "from newest", "from newest downloaded" at some point in the future.

Originally Posted by TreoRock

Hi, I like the podcast date, but I don't know if the time for the podcast is really needed. In case you are keeping the time could you show it in the am/pm format?

The geek in me likes to know. Sure, am/pm is probably better. I also have no idea if its timezone corrected.

Originally Posted by Divide By Zero

I think it would be easier to code, and probably satisfactory to users, to just check the beginning of the episode name string (filename, mp3 tag, I don't know where it's stored) and see if it starts with the name of the podcast, and if it does, drop it entirely. To borrow from your example: "Buzz Out Loud 1027: Buzz Out Loud Feedback" just displays in the app as "1027: Buzz Out Loud Feedback". Whether it retains the original tag/filename/?? in the file system depends on how friendly you care to be with the built-in music app; it could make the search-by-song-title function a bit wonky.

Again, I don't think I can modify the tags in the file, but that's fine. I have formatters that can control how things are displayed.

So the problem with just automating the replacement... take PalmCast:

PalmCast Episode 68.5 - Awesome interview with rwhitby
PalmCast Episode 68
PalmCast Episode 67
Smartphone Experts Roundtable Episode 5

I want that replaced like this:

[PalmCast ] -> []
[Episode] -> [E]
[Smartphone Experts] -> [SPE]
E68.5 - Awesome interview with rwhitby
E68
E67
SPE Roundtable E5

I can only do that if I have full control over replacements. I could default the first replacement to be "[PODCAST TITLE]" -> "[NULL]", but the automation could be confusing for people who didn't explicitly specify that they wanted the replacement or don't understand the option. That's why I went to the trouble to code it. And it really didn't take that long in the grand scheme of things.