Yahoo Inc, the Internet giant, on Monday unveiled plans to get into podcasting with a test release of a service that will let users download and review online radio programs.
Increasingly popular podcasts, which allow users to download audio programs from the Web and listen to them on portable music devices, have attracted interest from some of the biggest names in technology, including Apple Computer Inc.
Yahoo's new service will allow users to download shows from National Public Radio, the weekly presidential address, and independent shows with subjects ranging from sports to knitting, the company said.
The service - at http://podcasts.yahoo.com/ - will allow users to rate and review various shows. It also includes searching functions that allow users browse from a directory with tens of thousands of podcasts from across the Web.