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Podlines and Fonpods: Solutions Without a Problem

TechCrunch today reports on two services that allow you to listen to podcasts by dialing in from a cell-phone – Podlinez (note that cool ‘z’ at the end) and Fonpods.

Wow – what a useless concept. You really have to be addicted to the Daily Source Code to want to listen to Adam Curry yapping about Jaguars and private planes with the crappy quality a cell-phone has to offer.

Also, to monetize this, they are going to have to ad ads to this. And you know what – if they do that, I want a part of the revenue my podcast generates for them. I am not creating free content so that others can profit from it.

And who really want to listen to podcasts on the phone? Anybody? No? Didn’t think so either.

Fonpods, also sponsors TechCrunch, and guess what, they get the long write-up and a screenshot that Podlinez didn’t get…

Technorati tags: podcasting, adam curry, techcruch, mike arrington, arrington, curry, podlinez, fonpods

As the founder of Podlinez, I’d have to agree that Podlinez is a useless concept if you have a computer, an Internet connection, and (if you want to listen on the go) an iPod. Assuming you remember to sync your iPod regularly with your favorite podcasts.

But there’s a lot of people, like my wife, who have a cellphone with spare minutes, free long distance, a bluetooth handsfree system, and have no idea how they’d listen to a podcast otherwise… it is a great way to catch up on the market closing report or find out where the fish might be biting this weekend or get the latest toddler-raising tips while sitting in traffic.

And surprisingly, from the comments we’ve received, it looks like one of our biggest audiences is the elderly or infirm who weren’t able to make it to church last Sunday, catching up on the podcast version of the latest sermon. Not so surprisingly, easy-of-use for the computer-illiterate is a big deal for that application.