51–60 of 125 posts
Really liking the smart speed and voice boost features. Feels like a huge improvement on my favorite podcast (Gear Geeks Live) which typically has audio quality issues. Don't like getting hit up for an email address right off the bat, but Marco has a pretty solid track record.
It would also be nice to have an explanation as to why it's needed (web client etc).
Some feedback. I'm a heavy Downcast user. 1) Didn't import all of my subscriptions. Specifically The Patch from Roosterteeth. Considering the opml file contains the URL, I don't see why this happened. 2) At least one or two podcasts I deleted a long time ago got imported. I haven't examined the opml file but Downcast doesn't show them anymore. So either Downcast is doing something wrong or the import is. 3) I read th…
Feels like more like a glitch in Instacast and what it's sending to the OPML rather than Overcast though.
Overcast's settings page encourages you to try Marco's competitors if you don't like his app, right above the export option. Ballsy and classy. ( http://i.imgur.com/xO09x8d.png ) It's a shame his two tentpole features (Smart Speed, Voice Boost) are locked behind the paywall, though. I'd have liked to try them out before dropping a sawbuck. Not sure if that's part of Apple's "no time-limited demos" policy, a business…
Ballsy and classy. To me it feels a little haughty. Basically, "if you think anything in this app is wrong, you are incorrect, and should go elsewhere" Don't get me wrong, it's Marco so he has earned the right to dictate how an app is. It strikes me as more funny than anything else, but I wouldn't want people to see this and think they can replicate it without having a big name to back it up.
You can take feedback and suggestions (and remember, feedback is in the menu above the links to other apps) but as a software developer it's unlikely your app is ever going to be all things to all people. This feels like a simple acceptance of that and a chance to recommend apps / developers he likes if what he's doing isn't for you.
There are Instacast, Downcast and Pocket Casts with tons of features, though all with slightly different approaches to UI and graphic design. A nice selection for anyone who wants every feature and everyone who has a very particular and personal way of listening and organising podcasts that doesn’t fit with the way simpler apps organise the podcasts. For me their design (both UI and graphic design which in many cases is just awful) is a bit too noisy and loud and while they do have customisability the developers don’t seem to have put as much effort into making the experience map well to typical listening scenarios right out of the box, making you do all the work. For me personally they are a bit to complex and confusing, but for people who need the features they are great.
On the other end of the scale is Castro with its simplicity (and excellent graphic design) that makes it very streamlined to use – if your approach to listening to podcasts fits with what they designers had in mind. For me it just fits perfectly. (I really need nothing besides a list of podcasts and a list of unplayed episodes. That’s perfect for me.) Plus, background downloads work very well, even if they do consume a bit more battery. I can understand going with a server component, but it wouldn’t have been an absolute necessity.
Overcast fits somewhere between the Instacast-Castro complexity spectrum (with some cool extra features no one else has), filling that gap.
Sadly, Marco Arment doesn’t have the graphic design prowess of the people who made Castro, and since my demands are very simple I will stick with Castro for the time being. But I’m always up to switching it up and I can imagine it being a great app for many people.
(Those boxes I put those apps into aren’t hermetically sealed. In some respects Overcast actually is simpler than Castro in very thoughtful way, for example. But in general those categories work well for me.)
Some feedback. I'm a heavy Downcast user. 1) Didn't import all of my subscriptions. Specifically The Patch from Roosterteeth. Considering the opml file contains the URL, I don't see why this happened. 2) At least one or two podcasts I deleted a long time ago got imported. I haven't examined the opml file but Downcast doesn't show them anymore. So either Downcast is doing something wrong or the import is. 3) I read th…
Would you care to hazard a guess as to how Overcast could be getting that data if it's not in the Downcast export :p
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe the account is so that Overcast's servers can look for new episodes and push background updates so new episodes are there when you open it.
PocketCasts has the same feature without an account. The app can auto-generate a server account using the device's uuid.
There is also a web view/player I think.