Exclusive: Previewing Symbian^3's Podcatcher

slitchfield · #1 28-02-2010, 02:48 PM

As I wrote six weeks ago, work has been progressing to convert the old open source Escarpod podcast catcher into an application that can be part of the (also open source) Symbian^3 operating system. Now, exclusively, with kind permission, I have much more on the app, appropriately just called 'Podcatcher'. Read on for a detailed walk through and screenshots. Note that Symbian^3 itself won't appear on devices until at least the summer, but at least we now know that it'll have podcasting functionality, a relief to many in the Symbian ecosystem, including me!

Read on in the full article.

germcevoy · #2 28-02-2010, 04:32 PM

very nice. Beats the bare bones of the current podcasting app.

#3 28-02-2010, 04:35 PM

Hey! why can't we have icons for update, add and settings, instead of text??
you won't even have to worry abt localization then.

krisq · #4 28-02-2010, 06:31 PM

Is this gonna be available for 5th edition?

teknolog · #5 28-02-2010, 06:38 PM

Thanks for the coverage Steve!

Anyone can run Podcatcher on their 5th edition phone. We're very interested in people testing it out and reporting bugs. There are instructions how to run the latest build on the Podcatcher package wiki page.

About icons for the toolbar, that would be great. But someone has to draw them, or find suitable icons. I dug through the icons in the platform, and there are candidates that can be adapted. So this is another area where you can help out.

There is also a list of features planned on the backlog wiki page. If someone wants to take a stab at implementing it, we'd be more than happy!

About providing it for S^1 (5th edition), we certainly want to maintain compatibility. I'll be running the N97 for the foreseeable future, and I'll be running Podcatcher on it.

#6 28-02-2010, 06:38 PM

you think symbian is really so difficult to code for that nokia coders themselves couldn't bring the old podcast app into those newer E series phones?

#7 28-02-2010, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

you think symbian is really so difficult to code for that nokia coders themselves couldn't bring the old podcast app into those newer E series phones?

Symbian is not difficult to code for.

germcevoy · #8 28-02-2010, 07:13 PM

just installed it without a hitch on my 5800. Missing some artwork but so far so good.

germcevoy · #9 28-02-2010, 07:19 PM

anybody got the name of the theme in use in the screenshots above?

slitchfield · #10 28-02-2010, 07:38 PM

The theme in the screenshots is "Just Black", a minimalist theme by Jon at tehkseven.net

#11 28-02-2010, 09:45 PM

Well, I'm glad Nokia has proceeding ahead with this.

Let's not act, though, that the company is only just responding to some wacky, out there, new fad. Podcasting has been around since the first few Creative Zens and iPods; what-- it's almost a decade now, I think? It isn't the 'tech elite, bloggers and first adopters' who are only into podcasts. I would include many consumers who commute to work/school.

Just because we're fans of a company, let's not excuse their shortcomings.

#12 01-03-2010, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy1

Well, I'm glad Nokia has proceeding ahead with this.

Let's not act, though, that the company is only just responding to some wacky, out there, new fad. Podcasting has been around since the first few Creative Zens and iPods; what-- it's almost a decade now, I think? It isn't the 'tech elite, bloggers and first adopters' who are only into podcasts. I would include many consumers who commute to work/school.

Just because we're fans of a company, let's not excuse their shortcomings.

come on, if i walked us to the next 10 people i saw and asked them if they had weekly podcasts setup on their phone, i doubt even 1 of them would have it. The next 20 people? 50 people? I'd guess 3 out of 100 people have some type of podcasting setup on their mobiles. Even iphone users who have the luxury of itunes i doubt have much if any podcasts setup.

#13 01-03-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy1

Well, I'm glad Nokia has proceeding ahead with this.

??????

Did you read the article? It's EmbedDev, not Nokia.

But don't let that fact get in the way of having a dig at Nokia.

#14 28-02-2010, 10:12 PM

Nokia? What are you talking about? Nokia have nothing to do with this. I hope a day will come when everyone understands that the Symbian Foundation is *not* a subsiduary of Nokia nor is it obliged to Nokia in any way.

#15 28-02-2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brendan Donegan

Nokia? What are you talking about? Nokia have nothing to do with this. I hope a day will come when everyone understands that the Symbian Foundation is *not* a subsiduary of Nokia nor is it obliged to Nokia in any way.

Oh, come on, be honest. Even though the SF is now 'independent', their main benefactor is Nokia. They're unofficially tied at the hip.