RSS Player for the Iphone/Ipod Touch (and presumably, the Ipad)

Addendum (14 July 2010): RSS Player has been replaced by a new app by the same developer. It's now called Podcaster, and it has been revamped, works well with iOS 4.0. I also find that it downloads podcasts much faster, runs faster and has more functionality! Check it out!

--Original Review from June 16th--
Anyone who follows my blog regularly knows how much of a proponent I am for listening to podcasts of Italian shows and programs to improve one's language skills. It's important to listen to Italian along with reading, writing and speaking, but, for those of us who can't get to Italy often or who don't have Italian friends with whom we can talk, we have to rely on more creative solutions.

Listening to spoken Italian is a great way to train your ear for the "real thing" -- last year when I went to Italy for a month, I was amazed at how well I could understand Italian from strangers. Listening to Italian podcasts can help prepare you for the speed that Italians use their language.

One such app is called Rss Player - they have a blog, and you can read about their app with links to purchasing the app in the Itunes store. They have developed a very useful program that allows you to stream and download podcasts through the device without having to sync up to Itunes. They've also created a listing of podcasts, and many of the podcasts that I've discussed here in the past are listed. If it is not listed, there's a way to add the RSS feed, too. The app has received some complaints about crashing and not working, but I've used the app for the past week, and it has not crashed once, works great, functions as it says. I find the app very useful and versatile, and I use the app to listen to Italian podcasts on my way to my Italian conversation class to get my ear ready!

Another reason that many people like this app is that it allows you to download without using Itunes, and there's no limit on how much or how long you can listen, no download limit, and you're not limited by the Apple servers. The app interacts directly with the servers where the podcasts are hosted. (FYI - if you don't have unlimited data usage, you might want to restrict your downloading to when you're on a wi-fi network. The app can be configured to work over wi-fi or wi-fi and cellular).

If you use the app, leave a comment and let me know what you think of it. Check out the RSS Player blog, too!

RAI Radio App for Ipod Touch/Iphone

It's about time that RAI finally came up with an app for their radio content!

I found it in the App Store last night while I was winding down from my long day. The app works pretty well for the most part, and you can listen live to many of RAI's stations (although, I find that live listening works better on ooTunes). The great thing about this app is that is keys you into all the podcasts, allowing you to listen to many of the podcasts on RAI 1, 2 or 3. I'm really impressed with the app (although there is room for improvement!).

Listening to the radio, while it's challenging and difficult for many, is a great way to learn new words and to practice your listening comprehension. The fast pace of speaking takes time to understand, but the more that you practice listening, the better you will be at it.

If you're interested in downloading the app (it's free, by the way), click here.

RAI's smartphone page is here ("Tutta la radio in tasca!").

I wrote a short review of the app on Appolicious -- you can read that by clicking here.

Learning about history and improving your Italian with historycast

historycast is a cool podcast that explores various topics in history, from the Black Plague to the Etruscans to the injustices committed against Sacco and Vanzetti. The podcasts are beautifully and expertly done, and you are not only bound to improve your Italian but learn about historical topics on Italy as well as around the world. Some of the best podcasts are those that not only teach you new words and helps with your listening comprehension but also helps you to learn about history all at the same time. Read about them "Presentazione" to learn what they are all about -- it shows you the quality of the podcast that they have put together!

They have a popular blog, too, and the podcasts can be downloaded from their web site, via RSS feed or through the Itunes store. Simply search for "historycast" in the Itunes store to download their history lessons for free!

Check out their active and popular Facebook group, too!

Ad alta voce

One of my favorite Italian programs is Ad Alta Voce, a radio program on Rai Radio 3 in which you can listen to some of great works of literature read aloud. Recently, I found a recording of Leonardo Sciascia's Il giorno della civetta, and I was able to listen to the book and read it while it was being read to me. Listening while reading is a great way to hone your listening skills while at the same time enjoying some of the many jewels of Italian literature.

There are dozens of others titles, too, and you can listen to them directly from the web page for Ad Alta Voce (this link has the complete listing) or via Rai.tv (I find that Rai.tv works best in IE, but that's just my own opinion/experience). If reading and listening to Italian literature is daunting, there are several titles that are translated from English into Italian that might help to provide some context to what you are reading. It shouldn't be too difficult to decipher which of the titles are English ones.

Below is a partial list of some Italian classics that are my favorites -- I find listening with the book makes for a better experience. I've linked the titles of the books to the Internet Bookshop Italia:

Metello
Il deserto della Libia
Il cavaliere inesistente
Senilità
Le sorelle Materassi
L'isola di Arturo
La luna e i falò
Una storia semplice
Il giorno della civetta
Diceria dell'untore
Il giornalino di Giamburrasca
Amore e ginnastica
Il barone rampante
Il giardino dei Finzi Contini
Il mare non bagna Napoli

Repubblica Domani

A comment that I hear often from readers of my blog is that it is difficult for them to listen to a sixty-minute podcast or to watch 45-60 minutes of Italian television. I "feel" their pain -- it's difficult to find the time in the day. It can also be frustrating to listen to something and not understand much and become easily discouraged.

And I present to you Repubblica Domani. This is a short video that is done by the staff of La Repubblica which is a meeting between various correspondents, reporters and journalists that run the newsroom. They do their best to go over the main important news points of the day, covering not only events happening outside Italy but also domestic news, political affairs, the economy, sport and culture. The program is on the short side and varies between 5 to 10 minutes. At the start of each video, there's a summary of what will be discussed with photos so it helps to give you some context of what you will be hearing.

La Repubblica is also one of the few "independent" news outlets in Italy which generally does a good job providing balanced and fair coverage.

Below I've embedded the episode from Monday, May 24, 2010. To see the latest episode as well as the current list of episodes, click here.