Life on the road gets tedious. Hours of waiting around for flights, cabs, meetings and conferences can wear on your spirits. And you can only spend so much time listening to the same old playlists on your iPod before your head eventually explodes in frustration. Fortunately for us, a little technology called podcasting helps take the tedium out of travel. Offering everything from talk shows and newscasts to live music recordings and even video, podcasts let you pass the time with engaging, interesting content that you choose, on your schedule.

In truth, you can listen to—or watch—podcasts on almost any mobile device, whether it's a cell phone, an MP3 player, a PDA or a notebook. Any device that can play MP3 files can play a podcast. But the ubiquity and convenience of the Apple iPod have made mobile infotainment a worldwide sensation.

Unlike mainstream radio and television, podcasts cater to every interest. Whether you want in-depth financial analysis of the Asian business market, need smart advice about the latest fashion trends or are just looking for leisurely insight about bass fishing in the Pacific Northwest, you're sure to find something interesting in podcast form. Here's how you can get in on the action.

Podcasting began as an idle pursuit among geeks looking to share information online. By recording their own programs on any number of topics and posting them to the Web as MP3 files, they built a remarkable entertainment infrastructure almost overnight. As the popularity of the iPod spread, podcasting exploded into a digital entertainment revolution. Far from the obscure collection of nerdy homegrown newscasts of its early days, podcasting has evolved into a slick, refined and highly professional medium with a staggering audience of hip young listeners. With 30 million iPods in the hands of consumers and free distribution support from Apple's iTunes, major media outlets such as CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, NPR and ESPN have jumped in to offer polished programming with production values to rival anything you can find on conventional TV or radio stations. Of course, there's still plenty of homebrewed content from citizen podcasters, too.

Over the last few years, several software applications have sprung up to make it easy for you to get podcasts from the Internet to your PC to your mobile device. Doppler (www.dopplerradio.net), iPodder (http://ipodder.sourcefourge.net) and jPodder (www.jpodder.com) are three of the most popular free utilities. But since Apple jumped in with full support for the technology through its iTunes software, the competition has been looking pretty weak. Just download iTunes (for Mac or Windows) from www.apple.com/itunes and browse to the music store, and you'll see a listing for Podcasts in the upper left-hand corner.

There you'll find thousands of podcasts to download, all free of charge, with the most popular programs highlighted on the main Podcasts page. When you see something you like, click on it and select Get Episode to download it. If you're a fan of a particular podcast, you can click Subscribe to have iTunes automatically download new episodes as they come out, so you'll never miss your favorite casts.

You can watch and listen to podcasts right on your PC or notebook with iTunes, but the real fun starts with an iPod. By adding podcasts to your playlists, you can take all the latest episodes on the road, along with your favorite tunes. iTunes treats podcasts like any other music track, so you can just drag them to your playlists and drop them in. Then you can break up the monotony of your travels with your own personal entertainment choices.

But podcasting isn't just an Apple thing. In fact, Apple got into the action relatively late in the game, and there are plenty of independent sources for podcasts. For instance, most podcasters—especially the big media networks like CNN and NBC—make their casts available directly from their Web sites. So, if you're using a utility like iPodder or Doppler (see previous page), you can just copy the address of any podcast you run across and paste it into your utility's podcast manager window to add it to your selection. Or, if you prefer a more comprehensive list of podcasts, check out one of the independent listing sites like PodShow.com or Podcast.net.

If you want to listen on the go but don't have an iPod, you can use one of the other utilities described above to manage your podcasts. Doppler, iPodder and jPodder all support Windows Media Player in Windows XP, so you can sync your podcasts to any music player that supports Windows Media Player, such as the Dell DJ 30, Samsung YH-J70 or most other Windows-based players.

ROBERT STROHMEYER is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Podcast your business
Savvy businesspeople can turn podcasts into profits. Here's how to podcast like a pro.

Nothing beats free advertising, and it doesn't get much freer than a podcast. With a little know-how, you can create your own custom podcasting campaign for an audience of millions. The numbers are seductive: 30 million iPod owners, together with untold millions listening on other mobile devices, are just begging for something new to hear. And smart businesspeople have already begun tapping into that massive pool of potential customers. The market is so appealing that Chrysler has just inked a deal to promote its cars via CNN's podcasts. All you need to get started are a computer, a microphone and something to say.

All computers come with some kind of recording software, and many even have microphones. But garbage in means garbage out, so it's best to start with at least a quality external mic. The Plantronics Audio 70 ($30, www.plantronics.com) is an inexpensive stereo headset and microphone that works with any computer, but any PC-compatible mic will work. For that pro studio sound, check out the M-Audio Podcast Factory ($180, www.m-audio.com), which includes a dynamic broadcast microphone, a USB audio interface that can connect to musical instruments, and advanced recording software. Whatever setup you start with, the important thing is to create the cleanest possible recording, free from background noises. So be sure to set up your gear in a nice, quiet spot.

Once your studio is all set, the real work begins. Podcasting pioneer Eric Rice offers sound advice to would-be podcasters. As cofounder of Audioblog.com, which provides audio and video podcasting services to businesses and consumers alike and counts celebrities, real estate agents and soccer moms among its clients, Rice has been helping people master this technology since podcasts first appeared.

"The most important thing is to create content people will want to hear," says Rice. "Find things that add value for your customers, and build your content around those things. If you're BMW, don't just talk about your cars. Podcast interviews with your Formula One drivers to add human interest. If you're in real estate, offer insightful market advice. You can do this in any industry."

Once your podcast goes live, you'll need to attract an audience. Rice recommends using your existing advertising channels to drive customers to your podcasts. "If you're advertising in print or on the Web, promote your podcasts through those channels. Drive people to your podcast, and it will reinforce your brand identity."

The Pod Squad
Apple iPods at a glance

iPod
(aka "the new iPod") Apple doesn't bother renaming its iPods when old models give way to new ones, but the latest version of the popular player sports one very significant distinguishing feature: video. The 60GB model can hold more than 150 hours of video downloaded from iTunes. Price: 30GB $299, 60GB $399

iPod nano
Pencil thin and an ounce-and-a-half light, the nano is the slimmest hard drive–based music player money can buy. It also displays photos on its tiny color screen. Price: 1GB $199, 4GB $249

iPod shuffle
With no display, the Shuffle only plays music tracks randomly. (Hence the name.) This small, simple player is the iPod for the everyman. Price: 512MB $99, 1GB $129