Podcast Showdown - Mobile Industry

I've started listening to a lot of podcasts recently. My commute has got a bit longer, which means that I have much more time to spend sitting in traffic listening to interesting things.

I'd like to review some of the pocasts which fill my commute with joy and wonder!

Today's episode: Mobile Industry Shennanigans! I'm in the mobile industry and - while my personal opinions are obviously the best - it's nice to hear from other people working in the same space.

The Voicemail

I think I've been listening to The Voicemail since it started. I was even a guest presenter one week.

One of the things I love about it is how friendly it is. It does sound like you're eavesdropping on James and Stefan in a pub. They ramble on, setting the world to rights in a gloriously amateur fashion. That's not meant to be an insult - Stefan owns Androidbeat.com and knows the stats for just about every phone, and James is Mr Social at Ogilvy and has an intimate knowledge of the industry. But neither puts up a professional front for the show. It's two mates having a chat - sometimes arguing - about the industry from a consumer perspective.

361 Degrees

Ewan MacLeod and Ben Smith are joined by the brilliant comic creation of "Rafe Blandford" (a sort of latter day Borat) to discuss all thing mobile on 361degrees. Like The Voicemail, this is a cosy chat by people with a frightening amount of insight into the industry.

The podcasts are slightly infrequent but always very professionally recorded. It really helps having all the participants in the same room. The sound quality is superior, there's no VoIP drop outs, and it's obvious that the team can see each other and guage their reactions.

But they really do need to stop picking on poor ol' Rafe.

Cubed

The newest of the bunch, Cubed was originally named because all three of its presenter were called Ben. One of them left due to creative differences, so they're joined by a guest presenter each week.

Cubed is definitely on the more professional side of things. Ben and Ben are both industry analysts who have the ear of the great and good. Listening in on their discussions is like getting a free seminar from top notch experts. The podcasts run to 60 minutes - which is a little long for my tastes - and I'm often left exhausted by the barrage of stats and facts.

I don't always agree with the end result of their analysis - they're a little too pro-Apple for my biases - but it's hard to argue with the rigour they bring to the table.

The Fonecast

The Fonecast is presented by 51degrees.mobi - who do device detection for over a million sites - that makes it the only "professional" mobile podcast I listen to. Another interesting facet is that the show is partly scripted. Each news story is pre-written for the presenter to read out - the discussion afterwards is free flowing.

Because it's much more structured, it gives the show a pleasant flow. Combined with the technical knowledge of James Rosewell, the journalistic nose of Mark Bridge, and Iain Graham's glorious voice - it's a real treat to listen to.

They also do occasional sponsored podcasts - how to monetise your site, what can HTML5 do for you - which I'm less keen on.

I was a guest on The Fonecast earlier this year - and I can't fault their generosity nor their editing skills.

What Else Is There?

These are the best mobile podcasts I've found - do you know of any others?