Weekdays find me commuting to and from my “big corp” employer – usually affording me about 45 minutes of listening time. Just a few years ago I dreaded my commute for all I had to keep me company was the mindless drivel that is talk radio. Then I got my first iPod and discovered the wonderful world of podcasts. A true god-send, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this alternative.
My podcast experience recently leapt forward after discovering vemedio’s Instacast player.  Before Instacast came along, my routine had me spending about 5 minutes plugging my iPhone (I’ve graduated from that original iPod) into my MacBook, watching iTunes sync my podcasts, and then unplugging the iPhone just before turning out the light for the night.  Not a single-step process, this was a significant friction point for me. In fact, I came to truly despise using iTunes because of it.
Enter Instacast.  Instacast can synch my favorite podcasts wirelessly, eliminating the aggravation of plugging my iPhone into my computer each night.  In a single swipe, I can initiate Instacast’s sync process.  Depending on the number of episodes waiting to be downloaded,  Instacast can finish this all from my bedside table even after I have turned out the light.
Can you say “Game Changer”?
Instacast has really improved my podcast experience, while removing the biggest snag that came in using the traditional iTunes approach.  And if that isn’t enough, I can search, subscribe to and download a new podcast without having to connect my iPod/iPhone to my MacBook again.  Yeah!
For a great write up detailing how Instacast has fixed the broken iTunes process, see Shawn Blanc’s recent post.  It’s chock full o’ goodness!