Over-the-air podcast downloads on tap for iPhone?

Sure, getting Google Street View on the iPhone would be great—but wireless podcast downloading? Even better, if you ask me. Still just a rumor, though.

As has been widely reported, beta versions of the latest iPhone firmware have recently been seeded to developers, and up to now, the addition of Google Street View has been getting the most attention.

But the sleuths at The Unofficial Apple Weblog got a series of screenshots with a tantalizing new detail in the iPhone's music player: a "Get More Episodes" link below the standard list of available podcasts. Hmmm ... does that mean "get more episodes" via Wi-Fi or 3G, no syncing required?

Unfortunately, as TUAW points out, the "Get More Episodes" feature "doesn't appear to work" in the latest build of the 2.2 beta, which is a bit deflating; however, the Apple bloggers also note that the new feature might explain the infamous case of Podcaster, an wireless podcast-downloading app that was unceremoniously booted from the iTunes App Store—reportedly for "duplicating" existing iPhone functionality. At the time, the explanation didn't make much sense, but given the new rumors ... interesting.

In any case, wireless podcast downloading would be a killer feature for the iPhone (or the iPod Touch, for that matter); even better would be podcast downloads over AT&T's 3G network, but we might have to settle for Wi-Fi only.

Of course, that's assuming OTA podcasts are coming at all. There's still no word of the feature actually working in the latest firmware 2.2 builds—and indeed, no one's confirmed that "Get More Episodes" does, in fact, refer to wireless downloads. And Apple itself hasn't said a peep, per usual.

Looks like we'll have to wait in see, but in the meantime … fingers crossed. (And while we're on the subject of wireless downloads, what ever happened to Wi-Fi music and/or video transfers, à la the Zune?)

Anyone else anxious for over-the-air podcast downloads? Or would you rather get features like Street View and copy/paste first?

Related:
Rumor roundup: iPhone 2.2 firmware details [The Unofficial Apple Weblog]