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Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • King James Version

    • 4 out of 10
    • Harvey Danger
    • The sophomore effort from Harvey Danger, I was really looking forward to this followup to "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?" Unfortunately, "King James Version" failed to deliver any of the bri

  • Aretha Sings the Blues

    • 6 out of 10
    • Aretha Franklin
    • While she didn't always have the best taste in song selection, Aretha Franklin is a must-study for anyone with interest in the human voice. She has the kind of powerful, recklessly passionate deliv

  • Kind of Blue

    • 10 out of 10
    • Miles Davis
    • The jazz album to end all jazz albums. Miles Davis and John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly and the list goes on. The who's who of who's who in jazz have assembled for this monumental record. Get this
  • Priest = Aura

    • 10 out of 10
    • The Church
    • Another of my all-time favorites, Priest = Aura is one of those rare albums where every song is simply fantastic, and a testament to how good pop-rock can be.

      Each song immediatel

  • Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

    • 8 out of 10
    • Arctic Monkeys
    • Get on your dancing shoes
      You sexy little swine

      -Arctic

Reader Specials

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News

Are Podcasts Inefficient?

Despite the growing success and popularity of podcasts, not everyone thinks they are a good use of time. Some people see podcasting as a slow medium for information delivery, according to a MarketWatch report.

Writing on his own blog, Web-content management entrepreneur Pater T. Davis says "In the time I can listen to an average podcast, I could have caught up on my 50 favorite blogs, or read a chapter in a book, or read the latest issue of Red Herring magazine."

He thinks that it's much more efficient to read information for yourself than listen while someone provides it to you.

Traci Sheridan, the founder of Waxxi.us, thinks podcasts need to be more interactive before they can become a valuable medium for information distribution. She has tried her experiment, too. Listeners were encouraged to call in on phone lines or participate in an online chat while the podcast was being recorded. "We thought that it would be more interesting to let people be part of the conversation. The audience is what's really interesting," she said.

Even though some listeners don't see much value in podcasts, most seem pleased with the current pre-recorded style. The iTunes Music store features an extensive podcast library, and many users prefer the time-shifted style of listening to a podcast when it is most convenient.

As the podcast market matures, we may see a blending of the two styles: podcasts recorded live with listener interaction, but are also available for download after the fact. As the technology improves, we will likely see even more ways podcasts can be presented.

Until then, we'll continue listening and watching podcasts that, for some, are a waste of time. For the rest of us, they work just fine.

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