VoiceIndigo offers automatic wireless podcast downloads, "click-to" services

VoiceIndigo calls itself a “mobile brand enhancer.” 

What that means is the company offers a podcasting platform that can not only can automatically download podcasts into specific cellular phones but also incorporate "ambient advertising"-based click-to services, such as click-to-call, click-to-request and click-to-buy (see below).

The ability to set podcast subscriptions and then have then downloaded automatically to a phone is a useful service (see below).  Many phones, however, cannot take advantage of it, such as BREW, Windows Mobile and Java.

However, VoiceIndigo is working on versions for the other operating systems.

WAP portal

Any phone that can access WAP and play audio can use VoiceIndigo’s WAP portal.  The WAP portal, however, isn’t very useful, at least to me.

I added my subscriptions on company’s Web site, but there’s no “my subscriptions” menu item for the WAP portal.  You need to search for the podcasts but the search engine couldn’t find any of the podcasts that I selected, ant that were right in front of me on my computer screen.

I then went to VoiceIndigo’s own list of podcasts and looked at the “Technology and Science” category.  I selected a podcast to download but “page too large” came up on the Samsung A920 flip phone I was using.

Podcasts are also divided into chapters so can can download it chapter by chapter.  However, when I closed the  Samsung’s cover to listen to the podcast, it stopped and I was thrown back into the main list of applications.

Advice

If you have a phone that works with VoiceIndigo’s own application — typically a Symbian OS — try it.  That goes for Melodeo’s Mobilcast Network downloaded phone application as well.

If you’re using WAP or Java, though, you might prefer Pod2Mob’s.  Pod2Mob includes a “Favorites” item for all the subscriptions you’ve selected and the podcasts stream just fine.

No need to download a file — that’s too large for your phone — although I can certainly see the advantages of downloading podcasts..

A problem

I have found one problem, though, with Pod2Mob’s Java streaming app.  Every 30 seconds or so the podcast stutters for a second. 

I don't know whether it's a Pod2Mob or a Sprint network problem.  It’s not a deal-killer but it is somewhat annoying.

Comments

[carrie b]

is anybody working at Pod2Mob these days? i've written five emails to them for support, and one of my emails just bounced back to me with some kind of failure on their end. i used them 2 years ago with my Sanyo mm7400 and it was great. since i've received no word from Pod2Mob (though their website appears to be alive and well) i'm using Mobilcast and i love it!! extremely easy to install, great selections - the only glitch - and a VERY MINOR glitch-is the buffering thing that causes brief lapses in the podcasts.