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15 Windows Phone 8 podcatchers compared and reviewed (part 1)

The piece compares nine Windows Phone 8 podcatchers by the same practical criteria: importing existing feeds, finding new shows, checking and downloading in the background, resuming playback, listing new episodes, cleaning up downloads, supporting dark themes, and skipping within episodes. It also notes that this is under GDR2 or later, when podcast background downloading became reliable.

Podcast Lounge and BringCast score best because they combine broad import options, strong search, background downloads, playback recovery, and cleanup. Podcatcher is broad in features but less reliable in playback. iPodcast works well after a clumsy setup. Podcast Brain, Podcast Bandit, SlapDash Podcasts, Play, Look and Listen, and WPodder each miss key pieces such as import, background download, cleanup, or reliable resume.

Reading notes
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  • The article sets out eight test criteria for podcatchers, focused on practical podcast use on Windows Phone 8.
  • It says the comparison is limited to GDR2 or later, because podcast background updating and downloading became reliable there.
  • iPodcast can import an OPML file only through an online URL that the user uploads by FTP.
  • iPodcast has good search, auto-download, auto-cleanup, and mostly remembers playback position, but lacks an obvious now-playing screen and often misses cover art.
  • Podcast Brain can import from a backed-up SkyDrive config or a manually uploaded OPML file, but feed handling is clumsy and downloads must be done manually.
  • Podcast Brain does not keep downloading when the user leaves the app, and playback position is not always remembered.
  • Podcatcher integrates with gPodder.net and also supports manual OPML import and export.
  • Podcatcher has per-feed auto-download, a latest pane, and clear storage usage, but playback can resume incorrectly or restart from the beginning.
  • Podcast Lounge imports from gPodder or SkyDrive, supports export, and is described as the strongest at background downloading.
  • Podcast Lounge remembers playback position perfectly, but it lacks a chronological list of new episodes and hides import/export in settings.
  • Podcast Bandit has no import or sync, a weak directory search, no playback resume, no cleanup, and audio often continues under the wrong artwork or episode details.
  • SlapDash Podcasts can use existing SlapDash Radio subscriptions, but it offers no import or export and no auto-update or auto-download.
  • Play, Look and Listen has full background checking and downloading and a list of recent episodes, but it cannot import from other clients and does not remember playback position.
  • BringCast supports import, search, auto-check, auto-download, playback resume, cleanup, dark mode, and skip controls, and its late-2013 update added new themes.
  • BringCast still has occasional playback freezes and visual glitches that can require a device restart.
  • WPodder integrates with gPodder and supports background feed checking, but it does not background-download episodes and playback resume can glitch after interruptions.