Most podcatchers are applications that run on a computer. Podcast Ready, by contrast, is very different.
While still dependent on either the Windows or Macintosh operating systems, Podcast Ready's MyPodder is the first podcatcher to hit the market that runs directly from a digital audio player. That's right, copy MyPodder to your MP3 player and plug into an Internet-connected Windows or Mac computer somewhere on the planet, and you're good to go.
I think that this is one step along a longer road. Since MyPodder is essentially still tied to specific operating systems, it is still somewhat limited. I would like to see the day when my podcatcher runs from my MP3 player regardless of the operating system of the computer I plug it into. To do so, of course, would mean that my MP3 player would have to have some kind of operating system of its own, but there are already audio players on the market that run Windows Mobile and Linux so I don't think we're too far away from that. Take it one step further and I can see a day when my MP3 player can download its own shows via the cellular system. But that's a little farther away.
For the moment we have Podcast Ready. If you have a digital audio player than shows up as a USB drive when you plug it into your computer, then you can create a free account on Podcast Ready and give MyPodder a test.
