Podcasts and the I-pod Shuffle

If you look at my archives, you can see that I just recently started blogging (and reading blogs). So I missed this post on Acetylene.net. Zeno’s comment mentions listening to podcasts with an I-pod Shuffle. I’ve tried this before, and it didn’t work very well, for the following reasons:

• With the Shuffle, you can’t “bookmark” a podcast. If you’re only listening to a 5-minute podcast, that’s not a big deal. But I was trying to listen to (for example) The O’Franken Factor, which is several hours long. I usually don’t have a chance to listen to the whole show at one sitting, and hitting “Pause” (and not using my I-pod for several hours) isn’t always an option.
• There’s no way to make notes on a podcast with the Shuffle. I’m listening to podcasts, and hearing cool stuff that I would like to be able to re-visit and/or blog. Unless you hit your stopwatch when you start listening to a podcast, and have pencil and paper handy, there’s no way to make notes on what you’re listening to.
• And finally, Zeno’s complaint: there’s no way to change ratings on the Shuffle.

Don’t misunderstand me–I love my Shuffle! It’s great for listening to tunes on the bike trail, or working in the yard, etc. But for non-fluff podcasts, Zeno had the right idea: do yourself a favor and spring for a higher-end I-pod.