At the risk of sounding like we’ve become the Podango blog* this week (“all Podango, all the time“), they’ve made Podcasting News again today.

The online video/audio network company today announced that MommyCast, a popular parenting and family life podcast series, has launched the MommyCast and Friends Family Channel at Podango as part of an exclusive, multi-station deal with Virginia-based KDCP Networks, LLC., the MommyCast production company.

As part of the deal, KDCP Networks will develop a new network of family-oriented audio and video podcasts at online video/audio network Podango.

MommyCast was one of the earliest podcasts to make headlines when it landed a big-dollar sponsorship by Dixie Paper Products Company. Co-hosted by Gretchen Vogelzang and Paige Heninger, MommyCast offer information on community, health, home products, food and nutrition, education, technology and music.MommyCast recently won the 2007 Webby, Best “Family & Parenting” Site category.

Podango President Doug Smith said,” MommyCast will bring and unprecedented sensibility of family programming and new media to Podango.”

Yahoo has added a terse statement to its podcast portal, announcing the site’s imminent death:

Yahoo! apologizes deeply, but we will be closing down the Podcasts site on Oct. 31, 2007

Read/Write Web’s Marshall Kirkpatrick suggests that Yahoo’s decision to pull the plug may be a reflection of the rate of uptake of podcasting:

Some would argue that podcasting hasn’t caught on like it was expected to, that it’s been dominated by existing media giants and beaten as a medium by the rise of video. I still love me a good episode from ITConversations, Briefings Direct or our own new show Read/WriteTalk when I’m walking the dog – but Yahoo! users looking for podcasts will soon have to look elsewhere. I don’t know how many people ever cared for the site anyway. I hadn’t looked at Yahoo! Podcasts since just a few months after it launched, when there were no RSS feeds and you had to login with a Yahoo! ID in order to download audio files instead of listening to them through a pop-up Yahoo! audio player.

Yahoo’s decision to kill the site, though,¬†is more likely to be a reflection of the fact that¬†any attempt to create a major podcast directory is¬†competing with¬†iTunes, a widely successful, integrated solution for podcasts, video podcasts and digital media.

Podango, the online video and audio network, announced today that it has acquired the GigaVox Audio Lite technology from GigaVox Media. Deal terms were undisclosed.

Podango will incorporate GigaVox Audio Lite features and capabilities into its P2 podcasting platform, enabling publishers to automate component show assembly and improve post-production management. Podango publishers will be able to easily organize segments of a show, swap out segments from previously released shows and reuse segments (intros, credits, etc.) in future programs with the click of a mouse.

Michael Geoghegan, CEO of GigaVox Media commented, “We are delighted that Podango recognized the value of the technology we developed. Their decision to acquire it outright and integrate into their Podango P2 platform gives them a decisive competitive advantage.”

Podango lets podcasters host and manage their own podcast “stations” using the company’s hosting, syndication, audience measurement and website creation tools. Podcasters who work with Podango earn income by sharing advertising revenue from the aggregate of Podango-hosted stations. Podango also owns and operates a state-of-the-art production studio in the Bay Area.

Sony has announced four new iPod-friendly Xplod in-dash stereo “head units”.

For about $140, the top-of-the-line CD receiver (model CDX-GT520) provides the most options for connectivity in the car. The receiver supports MP3 and non-DRM WMA and AAC codecs. It is also iPod, satellite radio and HD Radio ready. Plus, it features front, rear and subwoofer preamp outputs; has a flip-down detachable faceplate; and a 13-segment, LCD with blue LED display; and blue key illumination.

The CDX-GT420IP CD receiver costs about $130, and comes with an iPod control interface. The included 4.9-foot cable has a 30-pin connector made for most iPod players and provides full menu control. The unit’s selectable front and rear/sub preamp outputs can be used to control the frequency and output level of an external amplifier. Other features include MP3 and non-DRM WMA playback, red key illumination and blue LED screen.

The CDX-GT320 unit provides versatility, with iPod, HD Radio and satellite radio compatibility. It offers MP3 and non-DRM WMA playback support and two preouts. At about $80, the CDX-GT120 CD receiver has one preout and a detachable faceplate with a blue 13-segment LED screen.

Podcast network Podango today announced the twenty-one podcasting and new media speakers staged for its “Unconference” at the Podcast and New Media Expo (PNME), taking place September 28-30, at the Ontario Convention Center.

“We’re featuring an open discussion and practical, how-to exchanges of information,” said Lee Gibbons, CEO of Podango.

Podango has organized an outstanding slate of speakers and topics designed to help publishers, business and brands benefit from the new media revolution,” added Tim Bourquin, PNME Founder.

The Podango “Unconference” will take place in the Podango Theater located at Booth 200. Details below….

Amazon today launched a public beta of Amazon MP3, a new digital music download store that features DRM-free MP3s. The new store promises music downloads that work with any portable media player, at prices cheaper than iTunes.

While Amazon is offering millions of songs, at prices lower than Apple’s iTunes Store, it faces an uphill battle.

Five Reasons You Won’t Use Amazon MP3

• You won’t save money – Most songs at Amazon MP3 are priced from 89 cents to 99 cents. The average portable media player owner only buys about 20 digital music downloads. In other words, you might $2.00 by switching from iTunes to Amazon MP3. Do you want to install a new downloader application and set it up to save $2.00?
• You probably don’t care about DRM as much as tech bloggers do – if you read a lot of tech blogs, its easy to get the impression that people really hate the limitations of DRM. While we’re not fans of DRM’d music, most people don’t care about DRM when it comes to making their buying decisions. iTunes is the most successful digital music store, in spite of the fact it primarily sells DRM’d music, while DRM-free offerings have floundered or failed. Most people get their DRM-free music on by ripping CDs.
• Amazon MP3 Will Drive You Crazy – Amazon seems to have forgotten about usability with Amazon MP3. The site is really hard to browse, which will drive you to use the site’s search. Unfortunately, the site’s search results are really bad, too. The top search result for “Britney Spears” is You Drive Me Crazy – the sound-alike version by Studio Group. The top “rap” results are from Andre Nickatina, Mr. Ti2bs & Katha-O – not Kanye West or 50 Cent. The top “Ozzy” result is from The Lounge Tribute To Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath. It’s enough to make you want to bite the head off of a bat.
• Saving 10 cents doesn’t matter if you can’t find the song you want – Amazon MP3 has over 2 million songs, about a third the number of songs that are available through iTunes. Of the 2 million songs that Amazon MP3 does have, major artists are notably lacking. In other words, most of the time, you won’t find what you want on Amazon MP3.
• Amazon MP3 likes karaoke a lot more than you do – for some reason, Amazon MP3 REALLY wants you to sing karaoke. The top search result for “Led Zeppelin” is the Sound Choice karaoke version of Going To California. Amazon MP3 doesn’t have any Justin Timberlake; all they have is karaoke version of his songs. They’ve got lots of karaoke versions of top-selling country artist Kenny Chesney’s hits, too. Look for Nickelback or Linkin Park or Rihanna or Trisha Yearwood or Avril Lavigne and get ready to sing some major karaoke. If your coworker annoys the @#$# out of you when he “sings” along with his iPod, you can probably blame Amazon MP3.

A lot of tech blogs are jazzed about Amazon MP3. CrunchGear, Engadget and Ars Technica must like themselves some karaoke, or the words “DRM-free” are enough to make them overlook the fact that Amazon MP3 offers a mediocre selection through a lousy interface.

Unless you really want to buy a lot of DRM-free karaoke, you’re probably not going to get a lot from Amazon MP3…..yet.

What Amazon MP3 does have going for it is that it’s a significant digital music offering from a site that you probably already use and trust. The major labels are hungry for an alternative to iTunes, so Amazon’s relatively weak selection of digital music downloads is likely to improve soon. If Amazon can bring their MP3 store up to the same level of usability offered by the rest of their site, they just might have a contender on their hands.

It looks like selling DRM-free MP3s on the cheap isn’t enough to get people interested in new digital music services. AnywhereCD, the digital music download site headed by MP3.com’s Michael Robertson, is shutting down:

According to an email from Robertson, the firm is officially shutting down in a few days, when the firm’s contract to sell both CD and digital versions of Warner’s music tracks expires. AnywhereCD allowed people to buy both CDs and DRM-free, MP3 versions of the same album through an online store. The idea was to provide both an MP3 and a physical CD for one price, however Robertson was only able to launch with Warner Music, and other labels had not signed on to try the idea. AnywhereCD’s deal with Warner music to sell both MP3 and physical CDs was a result of a settlement of legal settlement in June; at that time, the firms agreed to terminate their contract as of September 30th.

The site currently has a small selection of CD + MP3s going for about $7.00.

Apple today released a statement warning buyers against unlocking their iPhones:

Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone’s software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed.¬† Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update, containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (www.itunes.com), later this week.¬† Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones.¬† Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty.¬† The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone’s warranty.

In other words, Apple plans to continue breaking hacks that free up unauthorized uses of the iPhone.

Event organizers and attendees alike are making final preparationsfor the third annual Portable Media Expo, now with the updated name Podcast and New Media Expo.

We caught up with event organizer Tim Bourquin earlier today to ask about his expectations for the Expo:

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: How will the event be different this year from previous years?

Tim Bourquin: This year everyone has heard the term podcasting – now it’s all about how to use audio and video in creative ways because there is so much available. People are very interested in learning how to get traction for their shows and make it stand out from the rest because the audience has a lot of choices now.

For the newcomers who’ve not attended before, what can they expect to see and do?

Newcomers can still expect beginner sessions on how to get started — but they can also attend the more advanced sessions, of course. The exhibit hall will be a great place to check out the tools and services to produce the best content they can on whatever budget they have.

For seasoned veterans of the PME, what new features are worth noting?

For veterans who have been there each year, we’ve got a lot more after-hours events planned like the Culture Catch party and the 1st Annual Expo concert.* We’re also doing the keynotes differently this year – as an interview format. We’ve got more advanced sessions this year as well to keep up with the experience the attendees have after years of creating their shows.

I know you can’t play favorites, but what are a few of the things you are most looking forward to?

I’m personally looking forward to interviewing the keynotes (free to attend for everyone, by the way). But I’m also looking forward to hearing from some of the speakers who have been doing this since the beginning and have learned what’s working in terms of promotion and growing their audience.

What do you see as the current state of podcasting — for hobbyists and for the corporate podcaster?

Independent content is still growing incredibly fast. Now it’s just a matter of setting yourself apart from the crowded field. Also, content creators need to consider how they can get the largest audience for their show – which means using old-fashioned PR work to get noticed in “old school” media. Several speakers will be covering this at the conference.

PodcastingNews will be reporting from the Expo, taking place this Friday – Sunday, September 28 – 30, in Ontario, California.

(*PodcastingNews saw Expo Concert performer, Jimmy Golding, in concert earlier this year at the Corporate Podcasting Summit in London, and he was fantastic. We are really looking forward to hearing him play live again.)

Russell Holliman, Founder and CEO of Podcast Ready, tells us his company has just signed a distribution deal with consumer electronics manufacturer Coby that he expects will ship 5-10 million mp3-player/ podcatching devices over the next 12 months, starting with the fourth quarter of this year.

By Holliman’s reckoning, “that brings the total projected to 25-35 million podcatching devices, thanks to Sandisk and a few others, in the coming 12 months. And with each [device] pre-set for 10 sample feeds, its going to help several podcasts reach a whole new potential audience.”

Coby will be pre-loading Podcast Ready’s myPodder podcast management software onto audio players at the factory. These devices are sold through retailers all over the country (such as CVS and Fry’s) as well as Amazon and online stores.

Several months ago, Podcast Ready held a contest with a prize of a coveted pre-loaded slot on myPodder-enabled mp3 players as well. Tech Talk for Families and Britney Mason’s PopCast won grand prizes and will remain part of the initial subscription lists until myPodder has driven 100,000 new downloads for each. (Sturgeon’s Law and Typical Mac User Podcast received honorable mentions and will also be included until they receive 10,000 downloads from new users.)