Special Note: This page is not complete. I expect to be revising it for a while, till I find a solution.
Caveat Emptor.
Podcast Pausing
Introduction:
It would help you to read my index page
first, so you understand what lead me to here. Or just jump to my other
Android apps page.
How do I pause a podcast?
I NEED a podcast player with the ability to PAUSE audio quickly, without hunting for the right pixel to tap.
I'd like the pause button to be something I can find in the dark or without searching for it.
(Also, a sane fast forward and rewind would be good, and resume memory.) So far I've tried 6 or 7 apps,
but they all use the same design criteria and modeling.
Getting no where, after a while I ordered an ear bud with a microphone with a multifunction button in-line switch.
I ordered the wrong one, so I ordered again. This one has a microphone headset with the switch.
This works on SOME apps, but the sound in the earbud is just AWFULL! I can not use it to listen to music.
It hurts my ears! Even a podcast drives me batty. Back to the drawing board...
I am an electronics technician, and know how to solder SMD's and can design and build circuit boards.
So, if I can build an adapter to go between my phone and a good pair of earbuds, maybe this will work.
To do that I need a four conductor plug (and a switch, wire and so on). So far I can't find a source.
Even my local radio shack franchise had none. I may have to order from Jameco, Fair Radio or Mouser.
Opps, just checked, they are ALL OUT! Maybe I should cut open my NEW EXPENSIVE microphone headset.
Err, maybe not. Time will tell. Back to apps...
App Candidates so far are:
Stock Android Music Player - Free
No app brain info that I can find, due to being stock I guess.
My evaluation: It has controls on screen after sleep mode, without unlocking. The pause button is small.
No frills.
vs.
DoggCatcher Podcast Player by SnoggDoggler - $6.99
Manage your podcasts and RSS/news feeds with a Podcatcher
app brain info
My evaluation: A VERY nice aggregator/player. I can tell that SnoggDoggler has put a LOT of work into this player.
Media buttons are customizable. If you can find the right screen (Feeds > Audio > Playmode),
you can pause by hitting the "album cover". Nifty.
Has "Bind to headset", i.e. my headset switch, pauses the program. Lots of preferences!
Unfortunately I could not for the life of me, find a way to load a podcast via my PC (an MP3 side load).
vs.
PodKast by Magma Mobile - Free
listen to your favorite audio and video podcasts
app brain info
My evaluation: Not a good PAUSE feature.
vs.
BeyondPod Podcast Manager - Free (loss leader for $6.99 version)
Full featured Podcast Manager (podcatcher) and RSS feed reader
data analysis app brain info
My evaluation: Not a good PAUSE feature, probably a good aggregator.
vs.
Listen by Google - Free
Search - subscribe - listen
app brain info
My evaluation: Has a bigger pause button, but not good enough for me.
vs.
Car Cast Podcast Player by Bob Herrmann - Free (loss leader for $2.99 version)
simple audio podcast downloader and player
app brain info
My evaluation: Has a bigger pause button, but not good enough for me.
vs.
MortPlayer Audio Books - Free
Special media player for audio books
app brain info
My evaluation: Nice but not a good PAUSE button. Does have a separate widget. My microphone headset switch
works as a pause but can jump to another podcast. It is slow to react, double clicking causes odd behavior.
I was able to load a podcast via a PC connection (MP3 side load). I plan to do more work on this one soon.
vs.
^3 or ³ (aka Cubed) by Filipe Abrantes - Free
It is visual experiment that explores different visualization of one's music library.
app brain info
My evaluation: Interesting but does not do what I need.
My microphone headset with the switch works on this one, but I have not figured out how to add a podcast to the queue.
This is a music player. Lately it has lost the album covers. It has no controls on screen after sleep mode,
without unlocking. The pause button is small.
vs.
ACast - Free
Podcast player and news reader.
app brain info
My evaluation: ACast is an aggregator.
vs.
doubleTwist Player by doubleTwist Corp - Free
A fully featured music and video app.
app brain info
My evaluation: Has a fair sized pause button, mic switch works (if Settings > Headset controls is checked),
but have not figured out how to load podcasts WITHOUT installing their program on my PC.
This renders doubleTwist completely unusable for me as a podcast player.
It has no controls on screen after sleep mode, without unlocking.
Lately, it skips like poor streaming.
I was reading something elsewhere about another problem and found this statement from doubleTwist who said:
"If you have an HTC Incredible ... Blame HTC as it's their bug
(and for your next phone, pick one running the standard Google Android UI :-)".
I do not care for their implication. I love my HTC Incredible and would buy another, so there.
So, I can not recommend this one, unless you just have to have an Apple like tune store, if so, go buy an IpHONE.
vs.
Astro Player Beta by MNRF - Free (loss leader for $2.99 version)
Music and video player with audiobooks and podcasts support.
app brain info
My evaluation: Astro Player has the ability to bookmark and listen to podcasts at
faster than normal speeds, great (but old) idea for podcasts. Still, I can not get it to pause quickly via button
or headset and, I could not find a way to load a podcast from my PC (an MP3 side load).
The "Kansas Guy . com" web site.
