Podcasts For Nokia E61
Nokia has released a podcasting application, primarily for the Nokia N91, but it works fine with the Nokia E61 and other S60 3rd edition devices such as the rest of the E-series. It should be noted that the application is still in beta. However, I didn't encounter any problems with the software.
Podcasts can be downloaded via WLAN or GPRS (WCDMA for those who are so lucky). Given the size of most of the podcast I think it is wise to limit your downloads to using the WLAN. The podcasts I downloaded were in the 25-35 MB size and took a few minutes to download - I didn't pay too much attention to download speeds.
The application lets you find and download podcasts in three different ways. You can use the podcast directories that are pre-installed with the application to look for interesting topics. (The directories can be modified and extended by the end user. Just add an OPML file and the new directory will automatically be added to the list of directories.) Just use the hierarchical outline of the directories to find/discover a podcast you think sound interesting.
You will be asked to confirm your choice and the list of episodes, not the full podcasts, will be downloaded.
Another way of adding podcasts is by using the "Search" function. Just add the name of the podcast or a keyword.
You confirm your selection and the list of episodes will be dowloaded.
Another great feature is that you don't have to download the full podcast before you start listening to the file. You can start playing what you have downloaded using a "play preview" feature. This is a great way to listen to the first few minutes of a podcasts while you download them in order to decide whether you want to keep them or even continue downloading them.
There is also a feature that launches the web browser and automatically loads the website associated with the podcast you are listening to.
The third way of adding podcasts is by manually entering the podcast URL. It's a bit more of a hassle but in case your podcast is not included in any of the directories this is the way to go.
You can determine the default access point, search service URL for the directories, where podcasts are stored, update intervals and other details under the setting panels.
June 23rd, 2006 at 6:05 pm
MAN..
ur websie rocks
really i love it ..
Heeyyy me my self am a very very big fan of the E-series . and am thinkg to get the E61 soon .. am useing the 6680 & n90 right now .
tell me if you have to choose btw the N80 & E61 which one will you pick ! .
i think its a bad thing that Nokia didnt put a camera on the e61 .. but after all its a very gr8 mobile ..
Heyy if its oky with you to i write about your website & ur great review on the E-serise ?
Anyway ..
..
thanx for passing by my blog
& keep up thegreat work ..
wishing you a lovely week-end
June 26th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Thanks S A I R U S. You’ve got a cool blog yourself.
I’d pick an E61 but that is because I am addicted to a QWERTY keyboard. Of course, the E61 also has WiFi, Quadband etc. It really depends on your primary usage.
June 28th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Depends on what you want to do with the device. If you’re a big emailer then the keyboard is a good thing with the E61. If you want photos, go for the N80. They are both excellent choices!
June 30th, 2006 at 5:13 am
I am really impressed by the E-series blog! And thanks for your comment on blogg.podernize.se. Unfortunately I cannot run the podcast application myself (I am still using a Motorola A1000). But, inspired by your comment and blog post, I registered one of our customers podcasts (www.kompetenspodden.se) on Digital Podcasts (which seems to be the default directory in the application). If you have the time and interest I would appreciate any feedback about how it goes through on the Nokia, and perhaps a screen dump from the directory/player.
June 30th, 2006 at 5:29 am
p.s. If you want to also do a podcast about the E-series, you may for example do it with voice synthesis (www.talkr.com), or install the PodPress plug-in (www.mightyseek.com/podpress/) for WordPress.
d.s.
July 1st, 2006 at 8:47 am
Thanks for the comments and tip about PodPress. Rille. That’s really cool.
I did find “www.kompetenspodden.com in the directory.
July 9th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
The podcasting client linked to from this entry doesn’t work on the E61. Maybe they changed it or something, but when you download the .SIS file and try to install it you get the error “Installation not supported”. Do you have a .SIS file somewhere that works? Or know of any other alternative podcasting clients?
July 9th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
It looks like if you download the .SIS file via the E61 web browser you have the problem that I explain above, but if you download the .SIS file to your computer and transfer it over via bluetooth, there is no problem installing it!
July 9th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Thanks for the update Micah. I am glad it worked. Hope you find it useful.
Cheers,
July 18th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
I tried the podcasting app. My wireless home network is a Linksys Wireless B. It does not download very well if at all. I can surf via the modem but sometimes get a timed out connection but the podcasting program does not work well. It does download using the Edge network for my provider but this can rack up the data. Any suggestions?
August 8th, 2006 at 1:51 am
I have the application on my Nokia N80 and it is great.
My question is: if I want to change the search service URL- e.g. to add a different podcast directory- how do I find out the correct URL to enter.
In other words say for example I’d like to use the Yahoo Podcast directory or podcast.net - what would be the correct URL to enter in the settings?
August 9th, 2006 at 1:05 am
How do I configure for WIFI surfing? I’m using WAP and PSK. But it always prompt me unable to connect, inalid WPA pre-shared key, but I eneter the correct key, Why??
August 24th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
I’m having problems with changing the default access point in the Podcasting application. It looks like the settings is read-only or something. Every time I change the setting it puts back the ‘Always ask’ as default access point.
So no automatic updates for me
Are there people with the same problem and hopefully a solution?
October 31st, 2006 at 5:44 am
Folks,
I am using the app on a N80 and it all works fine over WiFi but only downloads half or less of the podcast each time, anyone else with this issue? Nokia Australia are completely clueless re this app.
December 1st, 2006 at 3:17 am
Nokia Podcasting App Updated to 1.00.2 - see http://www.symbian-guru.com/2006/11/nokia-podcasting-app-updated-to-1002.html
December 28th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Love the Podcast application with the E61, and love the phone here in the U.S., where it is being supported quite easily with an ebay SIM card, a pay-as-you go plan (in my case with a Cingular), and Truphone VOIP. My issue: I can load and listen to all podcasts urls/feeds I’ve loaded so far, except for The Economist magazine. The Economist feed loads, but when I try to update an episode, I get an error stating that the device does not support the broadcast. The Economist podcast URL (which the E61 initially accepts) is: http://www.economist.com/media/rss/economist.xml. Any ideas? Thanks, and happy new year. As a side note, let me thank everyone on E-Series. You are the reason I got tuned into E61. I am astounded how little coverage the E61 gets in the U.S. — possibly because it doesn’t behave like a typical big company cell phone with big company voice and data plans. Give me wi-fi and Truphone most days - both of which I get in spades with the E61 and which to me spell F-R-E-E-D-O-M. As a test of this American neglect, see how many results you get when you search for Nokia E61 at nytimes.com. Um, zero. Compare the review of E61 on the CNET U.S. site versus the one on the CNET Australia site. Finally, see how many year-end U.S. lists the E61 ended up on. Happy new year, everyone - and thanks, again.