Nokia’s Podcasting application is one of my favorite programs on my N95-3. It is my only source of podcasts to both listen to and watch, and it’s incredibly convenient. However, it can be cumbersome to get all your favorite podcast feeds into the application. Fortunately, the Nokia Podcasting application supports OPML importing, which makes it super easy to load up your favorite podcasts in only a few steps, with no hassling with your phone’s keypad.
The first thing you need to do is get an OPML file with your podcasts in it. If you don’t currently have any favorite podcasts, not to worry. I’ve created the Symbian-Guru OPML file, which contains a list of several mobile and Symbian-related podcasts, both video and audio, for you to choose from.
After the break, I’ll explain the easiest way to create your own OPML file, as well as how to import that into the Nokia Podcasting app for mobile enjoyment.
The best way that I know of to get an OPML file is using Apple’s iTunes. First, go through the iTunes Podcast directory and subscribe to the podcasts that you’re interested in by clicking the ‘subscribe’ button. Once you have done this, all you need to do in iTunes is right-click (or control-click in OSX) on the Podcast section and choose ‘Export Song List’. Be sure to choose ‘OPML’ in the ‘Save As’ dropdown list. This will generate an OPML file that you can save to your computer.
Alternatively, you can download the Symbian-Guru OPML file and save it to your computer or phone’s memory. To do this from your phone, once it has downloaded, the S60 browser will ask if you want to open it, or do something later. Choose ‘Later’, and then press Options, Downloads. From here you can save it to your handset. Once you have the OPML file, you’ll need to transfer it to your phone’s memory. It does not matter where on your device you save it, though I like to save it in the root of my phone’s memory, to make it easy to find later.
Now, open the Podcasting application on your handset. If you don’t have it pre-installed, you can download it from here, or open up the Download! application on your phone and download it from there. From the main screen, go into the Directories folder, and press the left softkey (Options). Scroll down till you see ‘Import OPML file.’ Now browse to wherever you saved the OPML file earlier, and it will import the file, creating a new folder called ‘Symbian Guru Podcasts‘. You can now go into that folder and choose which podcasts you would like to subscribe to. You can also press the * key to select all, if you want.
The Nokia Podcasting application is very flexible, and allows you to specify an access point for it to use, as well as how often you want it to update, and the time of day. Note that the application must be running in order to update automatically, and be in range of the designated access point. If you choose a cellular access point, please note that the Nokia Podcasting application downloads the full media file, which can be from 2MB on up to over 100MB.
There are still a few bugs in the application, however. The most annoying is that if the media is packaged wrong, the application will assume it is not compatible, and will force you to manually download new episodes. This is currently the case with Driving with the Guru and the Smartphones Show, though both play fine on most S60 handsets. Also, if the connection is lost for whatever reason during downloading, the application will not automatically resume the download. Hopefully, future versions will allow the user to select whether to auto-reconnect suppress content error messages.
If you know of any other mobile-related podcasts that I should include in the Symbian-Guru OPML file, please leave them in the comments, and I’ll check them out.
