"Podcasts are the new internet media format for audio content. A Podcast is an audio file (usually an mp3 file) that you can download to your computer, iPod, or mp3 player and listen to at your leisure. You can download individual "episodes" oe subscribe to a Podcast via an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, and have each new podcast program automatically downloaded to your computer when released. The term Podcast comes from the combination of the words "iPod" and "broadcast." (Wikipedia)

Podcasting, created by former MTV VJ Adam Curry, is a term that was devised as a crisp way to describe the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers of that content, who typically listen to it on their iPod or other audio player that supports mp3 at their convenience. (Wikipedia)

While Podcast is a term derived from two words "iPod", the tops selling portable media player manufactured by Apple, and "broadcast" the term "podcast" is no longer specifically associated to the iPod MP3 player, it does refer to any combination of software and hardware that allows its users to automatically download and store recorded digital audio files distributed through an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.

Just think of a podcast as a radio or TV program that you can enjoy whenever and wherever you wish. Podcast programs consist of programs about comedy, music, sports, politics, how-to's, and any other topics you can imagine.

What makes podcasting special is how it allows individuals to publish or podcast their own radio shows. Then any interested listener can subscribe to these programs and automatically receive fresh episodes downloded to their computer for transfer to your iPod or mp3 player. Before podcasting you could record a radio show and put it on your website, but now interested listeners can automatically receive new programs with having to go to a specific website and download it from that site.