These are dark times, lad But there is hope… just open your eyes, you dingbat

Windows 7 gets a Podcasts Library

Support for podcasts has always been a feature flatly missing from most Windows-based software.  The Zune software, Windows Media Player, VLC… you’re options are severely limited… to just iTunes.  I really have no liking for iTunes (at all), so I’ve wished for a long time that Microsoft would integrate the support into Media Player, at least.  The day has finally come, but from a different angle than I had expected.

Today the Zune software updated to version 4.2, bringing with it an actual Windows update including a new Library for Windows 7: Podcasts.

Windows 7 has been a blessing to all of us willing to try it.  Best selling version of Windows by a long shot.  And for a good reason.  And now I’m finally starting to see the blessed integration between software and operating system.

Podcasts! Wooo!

Aside from some meta data in the new Zune 4.2 files suggesting a Zune phone in the near future, the Zune software itself seems to make few visible changes to the interface.  I doubt the Zune phone will make it out before Windows Mobile 7, but who knows.  Microsoft isn’t really as good as Apple about keeping things a secret.  We’ll see about that supposed tablet announcement tomorrow.

Edit: It looks like Zune can now play AVI files in the software (though not on the Zune device).  This was a huge complaint from me about all prior versions of the software, which immediately crippled it from being an acceptable replacement media player for the built-in Windows Media Player.  I’m an iTunes hater for the Windows platform, so I’m glad that Zune is finally getting rid of some of the training wheels it still carries!

Article I found while searching what some of the new features of 4.2 were:

http://mymicrosoftlife.com/2010/01/26/zune-software-update-brings-new-features/

Another great summary worth a quick skim:

Inside the Circle