Patent ID: 8694611

Claim:
In a network environment in which a plurality of podcasts are available, a system for providing simplified access to the podcasts to a specific user, the system comprising: (1) a handheld personal audio device comprising: a media player configured to play podcasts; a memory source capable of storing one or more podcasts; a podcast directory module, the podcast directory module configured to: automatically receive, through a network, one or more podcasts for storage in the memory; and receive an instruction, from the network, to delete one or more selected podcasts from the memory; and a podcast directory module, configured to interface with a podcast directory service to provide a listing of podcasts available to the personal audio device; and (2) the podcast directory service, located remotely from the handheld personal audio device, comprising: a mass storage device for storing: a directory of podcasts stored on the mass storage device and other accessible podcast sources; a search module configured to search the network for additional podcasts to include in the directory of podcasts; and a plurality of user profiles, each profile containing one or more of: a list of desired podcasts, scheduled podcast programs, and user characteristics which the podcast directory service can use to predict podcasts of interest to a specified user, wherein the plurality of user profiles includes a profile for the specific user; and a podcast upload module, the podcast upload module configured to interface with the podcast directory module to: automatically, based on the user profile of the specific user, upload podcasts to the memory on the personal audio device, allow the specific user to select additional podcasts to upload to the memory on the personal audio device, and detect when the specific user has listened to a previously uploaded podcast and, based on the detecting, delete the listened-to podcast from the memory on the personal audio device; wherein the podcast directory module interfaces directly with the podcast directory service, and wherein the network comprises the internet.