Sunday, February 19, 2012

Kindle Fire for Genealogy Podcasts


It's no secret that I'm a fan of the Kindle Fire. I also enjoy listening to genealogy podcasts and internet radio shows about genealogy. I've had a lot of hit and miss success and failures in finding a Kindle app that successfully manages podcast listening. After using the BeyondPod app for several weeks, I can wholeheartedly endorse this for genealogists, blog readers and news junkies (all groups of which I am a member!). The unlock key for the app is $6.99 and, in my opinion, well worth it.

The app is very intuitive (which is good since I'm not big on reading instruction manuals). Users can create unlimited categories for the podcast or RSS feeds. For example, some of mine are Genealogy (duh!), News, Entertainment, Science and Technology, Business and Finance, among others. In the News feeds, I especially like that I can view a network evening newscast in excellent quality in 20 minutes with no commercial interruptions.

The app already has some pre-determined feeds. If you don't care for their selection, it is easy to delete them. The app also has a search feature that helps you locate podcast feeds and blog feeds. Especially nice is that you can locate a podcast on the internet, locate the URL of the RSS feed, paste that into the BeyondPod app and the podcast or blog will feed directly into the app.

In addition to audio content, this app also manages video feeds.

I still prefer Google Reader for the majority of my blog subscriptions, but I've duplicated a few of them in the BeyondPod app.

With most of the feeds, you have an option of downloading or streaming and you can decide how many episodes to keep on your device at a time. Unlike a lot of apps, you really do have total control on how you manage your content.

The following genealogy podcasts and radio shows are those that I have successfully added to BeyondPod:

Some of these podcasts are updated more regularly than others. But if I haven't heard them, they are still new to me!

I'm sure there are other genealogy podcasts to choose from. If you have some to recommend, please list them in the Comments section below.

Update: Here are some instructions on using this app.
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8 comments:

  1. JennaFebruary 19, 2012 at 9:13 AM

    Sounds great Susan! Does the Kindle Fire have an Ambassador program? I'm nominating YOU if it does!! :)

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  2. Susan PetersenFebruary 19, 2012 at 9:15 AM

    LOL, Jenna! I have the same passion for my Flip Pal mobile scanner and my netbook!

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  3. Debbie Blanton McCoyFebruary 19, 2012 at 12:16 PM

    Thanks, Susan! Great article. You've convinced me that I need this app.

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  4. Susan PetersenFebruary 19, 2012 at 1:43 PM

    Thanks, Debbie, I look forward to hearing about how it works for you.

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  5. Diane PedersenFebruary 23, 2012 at 10:51 AM

    I downloaded this app, but now I can't figure out how to use it. I need HELP from someone.

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  6. Lisa Louise CookeFebruary 24, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    Thanks for including my podcasts Susan as well as recommending the Genealogy Gems podcast app. I love being able to add bonus cotent to the app. Great article as always!

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  7. Susan PetersenFebruary 25, 2012 at 7:58 AM

    Diane - here's a web site with instruction pages and videos that should be helpful: http://www.beyondpod.mobi/android/index.htm

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  8. Susan PetersenFebruary 25, 2012 at 7:59 AM

    Thanks for the comment, Lisa! I'm always happy to recommend great products such as yours!

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