On my BB Storm (v1) running the beta of 2.6.0, using mute button for play/pause when the app is in the foreground instantly starts then stops the podcast. Using other buttons and when the app is in other states (background,locked) seem to work fine. I "moved" my play/pause to the right button for now.
Running 5.0.0.328 (platform 4.2.0.128)
I just upgraded to the beta yesterday, but haven't had any other problems.