Podcasts are really well-suited to mobile devices; is there a better way to run than with Ira Glass discussing Argentinian basket makers? But podcasts have a place on traditional computers, too. Most people rely on iTunes to manage their audio and video subscriptions, but Vemedio thinks it has a better way. The company has ported its popular iOS app to the Mac with a public beta of Instacast (Free), which eliminates iTunes’ bloat in favor of a more podcast-focused user interface.
Instacast allows you to subscribe to your favorite podcasts directly, skipping over iTunes altogether. Once you’ve searched through the top feeds, or added your own URLs, the app will download the most recent episode, and list others that are available. You can then listen or watch, with the show notes in a column to the right. Since it’s a beta, there are bound to be a few bugs, but it looks like a nice standalone solution so far.