CNN ‘cast worth a listen

CNN’s ShowandTell

Web: http://www.cnn.com/services/ podcasting

Feed: http://rss.cnn.com/services/ podcasting/showandtell/rss

Today, we start a two-week review of a pair of popular CNN-produced podcasts. Over the last year or so, CNN.com has demonstrated a savvy appreciation for producing high-quality video and audio podcasts.

Here, we’ll take a quick look at CNN’s tech-related video podcast called ShowandTell. Next time we’ll pay attention to Youth Factor, a snappy weekly podcast directed entirely at young voters and the issues they’re confronting heading into the 2008 elections.

Weekly podcast ShowandTell is done by CNN’s senior business correspondent Ali Velshi. Usually we cringe while watching the average TV newscaster running through the technology world, pointing at boxes or clicking on devices. Velshi, however, completely knows what he’s doing. He’s smart and doesn’t condescend.

His topics are relevant and mainstream. A recent podcast on how to back up your cell phone numbers and addresses was smart and short; he even found a few tricks we hadn’t heard about before, such as using a Web service through Yahoo’s site to back up data for AT&T or T-Mobile customers.

This is a visual podcast and Velshi demonstrates and illustrates the techniques or tech products he’s talking about.

It’s only weekly for now, but ShowandTell is worth checking out.