Much touted as the new age radio, podcasting has not yet developed as an alternate media. Nor (as some have suggested) can it be compared with web-logs. But this relatively new technology which combines audio & other content with a Internet-based delivery method could become the latest form of promotional "mailers".

With a installation base of a couple of million (and growing rapidly), iPod owners are upwardly mobile, tech-savvy and youthful - the right audience segment to target for new product launches, upgrades, concepts. The iPod (and its imitations) are basically a combination of digital music (MP3) player, local storage and Internet connectivity technology. Here is a quick update on podcasting.

What Is A Podcast?
Let's begin with what is podcasting. Technically, the iPod (and its imitations) are basically digital music (MP3) players with local storage and Internet connectivity - the latter is required for downloading audio & other files from web servers via RSS/XML protocol.

Podcast Directories
To make iPods "aware" of new podcasts, a number of directory services have come up. These are listings hosted on web servers which provide information relating to podcasts - indexed by category, content, language. These directories act like beacons - iPods can regularly check directory listings and display new podcasts available.

Podcast Search Engines
Being based on RSS feeds, podcasts may soon come into the Search Engine net. Internet giant Yahoo!'s Search Engine is expected to be the first to announce such a feature. Once included in standard search engines, the popularity of podcasts is expected to soar to new heights.

Podcasts
Like all media, podcasts offer more than one option:
• Podcast Audio - This is the basic offering - audio (MP3) files hosted by podcasting 
   servers - available as feeds for iPods, MP3 players and plain ol' PCs.
• Podcast Text - This is the "text notes" feature in iPods which can be downloaded from
   podcasting servers just like the audio.
• Podcast Photo - The iPod offers its "Photo" option for downloading images. Already, this feature
   has been put to use by providing city/suburb maps for download to iPods.

Podcast Mobile
iPod & Motorola have announced cellphone-iPod model Rokr. Apart from giving more meaning to "carry your music wherever you go", it is expected to lead the way for Podcast Video.

Finally
With today's cellphones already capable of broadcasting video, iPod video streaming should be the next thing. Which brings us to the next question : Is the iPod on its way to becoming just another cell phone / pocket PC, capable of Mobile TV ?!