Google's new launches, Podomatic does a deal, PodcastOne hires new execs

Podomatic, a podcast host, has done a deal with Weebly, a website host, to “offer podcasters the ability to create a first rate website for their podcasts”

PodcastOne has hired a few big hitters for sports and “special programs”.

Nick Quah goes into the history of podcasting for Wired, writing about the “three fundamental moments of podcasts’ crazy rise”

On-demand music streams are up in the US by 40% year-on-year.

The new iOS 11 is apparently resulting in a big increase in RSS traffic.

Podtrac release their September podcast stats.

Google announce their new Pixel 2 phone, their flagship Android device. It doesn’t have a headphone socket. They’ve also announced two new versions of the Google Home smart speaker - one just US$49.

Not to be out-done, Sonos have released a new smart-speaker with Amazon’s Alexa built-in. Alexa is also available to existing Sonos units as an upgrade. Initial feedback on Twitter isn’t amazingly positive, though.

Google’s “Android Excellence” collection, which they use to highlight really good Android apps, includes a podcast app called CastBox. It’s a fully-featured podcast app with some good recommendations based on episodes.

Discovered today - users of Pocket Casts can paste an iTunes link into the search box, and it’ll let you subscribe to that podcast. Neat.

New from the Australian ABC: The Boyer Lectures. “Fast, Smart and Connected: What is it to be Human, and Australian, in a Digital World?”. (Boyer? He was a ABC Board Chairman).