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NewsBrain for iOS creates an endless personalized magazine
NewsBrain (US$4.99) is a new app to deliver news you are interested in and present it on your iOS device. The app learns from your likes and dislikes, which you can register on a sliding scale that includes degrees of attraction, neutrality or repellency. You log in using a Google, Twitter or WordPress account. Articles are sourced through Feedly. Once the app learns your interest, it gets pretty good at predicting other articles that meet your criteria. "NewsBrain learns your interests using a unique neural technology. There's no need to wade through the internet looking for interesting things to read, since NewsBrain finds it for you. It starts out as a general interest magazine, but as you flip through pages, read articles and indicate which ones interest or disinterest you, it quickly customizes itself and becomes a highly personalized magazine geared to your specific interests and tastes," according to Mike O'Connor, the developer of the software. I spent some time with the app, and found that after a while it did figure out what I was and was not interested in. The GUI seems a bit overwhelmed by the information, and it is a bit too busy to quickly comprehend an article. Sometimes text is overlaid on a graphic, making things a bit hard to read. NewsBrain is dependent on seeing what you read. Unlike Zite, I see no way to seed a particular subject. NewsBrain is a good idea, but a $5 app will find it hard to compete with the free Zite and Flipboard apps. Zite also learns from what subjects you are spending time with, and in short order you have a very personalized, easy-to-read magazine. Newsbrain is aiming for the same end result, but it's still a little rough around the edges. There is a thorough help file built in. With some cleanup of the pages, which are easier to read on an iPad than an iPhone, the app may do quite well. It will depend on how good it is at figuring out what you are interested in. It certainly has promise, but at this point is not a match for Zite, either in price, features, GUI or range of subject matter. NewsBrain requires iOS 7, and it's a universal app. It's optimized for the iPhone 5.
Feedly turns to Google+, Twitter and Facebook for easier logins and sharing
After leaning heavily on Google authentication to transition millions of users from Google Reader, Feedly wants to make it even easier to log into its RSS reader. In an official blog post, the company says it will soon transition from Google OAuth to Google+, simplifying access across different devices and laying the foundation for improved social sharing. Feedly says it has also been testing Twitter, Facebook and Wordpress login options and plans to roll them out "over the next seven weeks." Don't expect to wait too long for the new Google features to take effect though: they're coming to the Feedly website today and will be added to its iOS and Android apps in "a couple of weeks."
Feedly for Android scores 300 percent faster start time, raft of refinements
Google Reader stand-in Feedly has picked up a bounty of tweaks and features in its latest version, which just hit Google Play. Now in its 17th iteration, the app starts up 300 percent faster, boasts smoother scrolling, a retooled widget and a new discover section to peruse stories. Design buffs will be pleased to see improved fonts and a refined visual design geared towards readability. In addition, pro users will now be able to use an enhanced search to scour the entirety of their feeds. The minds behind Feedly have also given their application some future-proofing as well -- particularly for an era that includes smartwatches -- with optimizations for the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Android Kitkat. Unfortunately, details on what was fine-tuned for Google's upcoming operating system are MIA. Faithful iOS users can't get ahold of the updates just yet, but that should change shortly as the app will embark on the App Store approval process Friday.
Feedly embraces app development by opening up API to all
Feedly just got markedly more developer-friendly. The news aggregator has added a slew of new third-party apps to its platform and has also opened up its new cloud API to all interested parties, starting...now. According to a post on the company's blog, it enlisted 50 developers over the course of half a year to create an elastic programming interface that lets people create apps in less than a week. Interested developers can download the API at the source link below. You can also visit Feedly's page to check out the selection of currently available apps.
Feedly Pro now available to everyone, offers a 'more powerful' reader for a fee
Feedly's popularity increased massively with the news of Google Reader being put out to pasture, so much so that it figured it wouldn't be such a bad idea to introduce a paid version of its RSS service. Therein Feedly Pro was born. Now, after being available to a limited amount of people, Feedly Pro is opening its doors to everyone, provided folks are willing to fork over the $5 per month or $45 per year for the extra functionality. Here's what those fees will get you in return: more search options within feeds, one-click integration with Evernote and Pocket, premium customer support and, lastly, HTTPS support to keep things vastly more secure. According to Feedly, additional features will be coming regularly to Feedly Pro in order to bring more productivity tools to users and, perhaps more importantly, make itself sustainable going forward.
Daily Update for August 5, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Feedly goes Pro: $5 per month for better search, security and more (update: sold out)
Log into your free 'n easy Feedly RSS service this morning and you may be offered the opportunity to make it less free, but potentially even easier to use. An upgrade to Feedly Pro will normally cost $5 per month or $45 per year, but it's also currently be sold for $99 with a lifetime membership for the first 5,000 claimants. In return, the cloud-based reader promises the following: Https support to "add a layer of security to your Feedly browsing" Article search that allows you to search "within your Feedly feeds"; Evernote integration that enables one-click saving of an article to a selected notebook; Premium support, which means upgraders will "get bumped to the front of the support line" if they need a hand. And there we have it. An inevitable move on Feedly's part, no doubt, though we can't help but remember the days when it made us all feel special. Update: Those 5,000 limited editions are all gone. The outfit has set its sights on unleashing the full-on pro version "in a few weeks" thanks to the funds raised.
Last Call: Everything you need to prepare for the Google Reader shutdown
This is the last call for everyone to migrate off Google Reader before it shuts down July 1. Follow these guidelines to put Google Reader behind you and get setup with one (or more) of the services that are ready and raring to become your new RSS home. Back up your Google Data Back up your Google Reader subscriptions and save them offline. You can use Google's Takeout backup service or a more powerful tool that'll save all your Reader data, including starred items, tags and more. Once you have your data saved offline, you can import it into any app or service you choose. Select another RSS Reader platform There are several platforms from which to choose if you want to replace Google Reader. Digg Reader: Digg Reader is a web app with an intuitive, minimalist design. It has fast syncing with mobile apps for the iPhone and iPad. The service integrates with Digg and is free to use, though a premium option may come sometime down the line. Even though it lacks search, Digg Reader is the service I'm going with for now. One major drawback is the lack of OPML import, so try to import your feeds before Google Reader goes offline. Read our review of Digg Reader. Feedly: Feedly has excellent third-party app support and a good web-based client. It's also free to use and is the service that many developers and users are adopting the most right now. This is my second choice behind Digg Reader, with one caveat -- without a monetization strategy, Feedly may not be able to sustain itself as it grows, and you may find yourself having to find another RSS solution again. Normally, these financials wouldn't enter my mind, but the abrupt shutdown of Google Reader has me questioning the longevity of each new service I try out. FeedBin: Feedbin has a Google Reader-like web interface and syncs with Reeder for iPhone, Mr. Reader and Readkit for Mac. It costs a reasonable $2 per month. You can read more about Feedbin in this excellent review from TidBits. Feedbin is my third choice because of the third-party apps, built-in Readability option and support for tags. NewsBlur: NewsBlur offers its own apps for the web, iPad and iPhone, but lacks third-party app support. Within its own apps, it has an intelligent filtering option and support for comments from the NewsBlur community. You can sign up for a free account that is limited to 64 feeds or opt for the paid version, which is $24 per year. You can read more about NewsBlur in this excellent review from TidBits. Feed Wrangler: Feed Wrangler has a great web UI and third-party app support. It uses smart streams to make RSS reading easier. Priced affordably, the service will cost you $19 per year. You can read more about Feed Wrangler in this excellent review from TidBits. AOL Reader: AOL Reader is the new kid on the block and is not as feature-filled as its competition. No mobile apps and no search are its biggest detractors. It is free to use , but has small, sidebar ads. Read our review of AOL Reader. NetNewsWire 4: NetNewsWire 4, the first version of the classic reader from current owner Black Pixel, is a polished OS X app with many convenient features like tabbed reading and a built-in browser. No native mobile apps and no third-party apps are a dealbreaker for me. NetNewsWire is free to use while it is still in open beta. You can save money by pre-ordering now for $10. The app will cost $20 when the final version with syncing is released. Read our review of NetNewsWire 4. Fever: Fever is a self-hosted solution that'll meet your RSS needs as long as you don't mind getting down and dirty with PHP and MySQL. The server build has a $30 one-time fee. Download some apps Most of the services above have their own OS X or iOS apps that you can use on your Apple devices. If you want something different, there are a handful of third-party apps that'll sync with services like Feedbin, Feedly and Feed Wrangler. You can browse through those third-party apps in our rundown of current RSS readers.
RSS Reader Roundup: Feedly leads the pack with web, mobile and third-party apps
Earlier this year, we listed several services and apps that'll potentially replace Google Reader. Now that the Reader shut down is imminent, we are taking a second look at some of these services (and a few new ones) to see which companies have scaled up enough to become a true Google Reader replacement. In this next post in the series, we will look at Feedly, a startup RSS platform that stepped in to fill the shoes of Google Reader with a web app, mobile apps and robust third-party apps. Initial Setup and Impressions Just like its competitors, Feedly will allow you to login to your Google Reader account and transfer your feeds to the service. All your subscriptions as well as your folders, tags and starred items are imported. Individual RSS subscriptions can be added manually by typing in the site name, RSS URL or topic. If you like to browse for new feeds, Feedly provides a hub of suggested sites. When you add a new site, you are prompted to add it to a category as the Feedly UI emphasizes the use of categories/folders. If you opt not to organize it, the feed will go into an uncategorized category by default. Unfortunately, you cannot bulk import your feeds via an OPML file, but you can export your feeds from Feedly as an OPML. As pointed out by reader Chris, you can go to the Organize tab and select the "As OPML" option at the top. This will bring you to http://cloud.feedly.com/#opml, where you can copy/paste the text into a local text file that can be saved as an OPML file. Feedly has a unique UI with a full-width column for your feeds and a collapsible left-side column that provides access to your feeds list, settings and more. There are several views for this center column, including a list, magazine, cards and full article view. The magazine view has a blog feel to it, while the cards view is a series of tiles arranged in a grid-like fashion as shown above. If you want a splash of color, you also can change the theme for Feedly. Reading your feeds in Feedly is filled with options to make it efficient. You can mark all items in a feed or a category as read. You can even mark as read those articles that are more than a day old or more than a week old. Feedly includes an option to quickly unread an item that was accidentally marked off as read. Unread items are a nice dark black, while read items are grey. To keep your feeds fresh, you can use a filter that shows your unread articles only. Likewise, there is an "oldest first" filter that'll help you clean out those lingering articles from a year ago. Major Features Here's a rundown of the major features of your average RSS reader and information on which ones are supported by Feedly. Google Reader Import: Yes, automatic by logging into Feedly using your Google account. Tags and starred items are imported. Does not support OPML import. OPML export takes a few steps. Folder Support: Yes, imported from Google and create your own. Deleting a folder/category removes the folder and the RSS feeds. Authenticated RSS feeds: No. Keyboard shortcuts: Yes. Tags: Yes. Feedly imports Google Reader tags and you can create new ones. Resizable elements like fonts, columns: The column width is fixed, but you don't need to change it as it takes up most of the screen thanks to a collapsible side column. Header fonts can be changed, link colors can be changed and you can pick a new theme to give Feedly a different look. Mark all read/unread: You can mark all items in an RSS feed and all items in a folder as read. You can easily unread an item as well. Another option lets you mark as read those articles that are more than a day old or more than a week old. Search/Sort: There is no RSS search. You can use a filter to sort articles so the newest or the oldest is at top. You can also hide unread articles with a a few quick clicks. Star/Favorite: Yes, you can mark items as "Saved For Later." Read Later/Offline: Yes, you can save to Pocket Instapaper, Evernote and Del.icio.us. Pocket and Instapaper for mobile. Social networks: You can share articles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google +. Pinning images to Pinterest is supported as well. You can also send via email or schedule your sharing via Buffer. API/Third-Party: API for developers of third party apps is available now and, judging by the number of third-party apps, is actively in use. Other features: Feedly has a handy setting that'll let you scroll through a feed to mark it as read. Scroll to read only works in Full Articles View only. There are other cool tweaks like the setting that'll automatically add a postfix to a tweet and the option to select your start page. Pricing: Feedly is available for free. Mobile Syncing Mobile apps are the icing on the cake for Feedly. The native universal app is a great companion to the web client. The native apps are free and include syncing across devices, swipe gesture to move between articles and offline reading via Pocket or Instapaper. If you don't like the official app, you always can find a third-party app. Feedly was preparing its back-end service, Normandy, long before Google said it was shutting down Reader. Consequently, the Feedly team was able to get the service up and running quickly for other developers to use in their third-party apps. What's Missing The biggest item missing from Feedly is search. I miss being able to search for an article based on a word or two I remember from a title. Conclusion Feedly is one of the top options for folks looking to replace Google Reader. It has a nice web-based client, a universal iOS app and its API is being used by developers in some top-notch third-party apps. The biggest unknown is its financial future. With free apps and a free service, how is the company going to raise the money needed to scale the service for a large number of users and continue active development? With Google shutting down Reader so unexpectedly, it's good to question the potential longevity of the service that you choose for your RSS feeds.
Reeder for iPhone goes free for now, gets Google Reader alternatives soon
Silvio Rizzi made the iPad and Mac versions of Reeder free to use in the wake of Google's plans to shut down Google Reader, but he left the iPhone app at its usual $3 price -- and its fate in the air. Existing users can now rest easy, as Rizzi has pledged ongoing support for the smaller screen. The current edition of Reeder for iPhone is now free to use, and an already-submitted 3.2 update will bring support for alternative news services like Feedbin, Feedly, Feed Wrangler and Fever. Anyone using the iPad and Mac editions will have to be patient, however. Both apps will eventually get the additional news sources, but Rizzi is taking down the existing releases on July 1st to minimize confusion while he works on updates.
Editorial: As Google Reader dies, reading struggles to be reborn
When Google announced it was pulling Reader's plug (which will happen next week), the outcry was loud and viral. If I may speak for those who were most wounded by the knife in Reader's back, the announcement shock was mixed with betrayal, anger and loss. Those who built RSS reading into their lives generally placed it at the epicenter of their online activity. Anticipating life without Reader was a black-hole view -- the web with a void punched into the center. As the wailing turned practical, exporting and migrating recommendations proliferated. The commotion died down for a while, and has now resumed for Reader's final week. Major and minor brands are jumping into the feed-reading game, seeking to sway a vocal population looking for new homes. But is a loud community of users also a large community of users? Feed-based web consumption hasn't had this much publicity in years. Does all this product development and media attention signal a rebirth of RSS's geeky convenience? Or are money and effort being thrown at an ephemeral market?
Feedly RSS reader launches cloud service
Feedly is a service that's risen in popularity recently for the most part because the much-loved RSS service Google Reader is coming to close on July 1, but the company is definitely doing its best to make a space for itself as something more than just an alternative. Today, Feedly released the Feedly Cloud, which not only creates a standalone web-based RSS reader app, but also hooks all of your feeds into the cloud, which developers can then hook their own APIs into for various purposes. Just like Google Reader's API, the idea is to allow Feedly's work to power other readers, and in fact the service is connecting into IFTTT right away at launch, and opening up other options for future apps and tools. This also means that Feedly is available right inside your web browser (previously, the app required a plugin or extension in your browser to work correctly), and can be pulled up from anywhere. Personally, Feedly has become my reader of choice, partly because it works so similarly to Google's service, and partly because it's so easy to migrate from one service to the other. If you use Google Reader and haven't yet chosen a new service, you're running out of time, as Google is finally shutting everything down on July 1. Feedly is the best alternative I've seen so far, and this move to the cloud shows that the company is very interested in not only grabbing Google's refugees, but keeping their patronage for as long as possible.
Feedly launches cloud platform and new web interface ahead of Google Reader shutdown
The eventual demise of Google Reader gave existing services like Feedly an opportunity to land hundreds of thousands of new users, but the sudden gain of popularity demands an infrastructure that can handle the load. By opening its APIs to the masses today, Feedly says it's officially making the transition "from a product to a platform," supplying developers and RSS users alike with a painless migration path from Google's soon-to-be deceased reader. To go along with that, the company also announced a novel version of Feedly on the web, one which doesn't require any extensions or plugins and is accessible via browsers such as Internet Explorer and Opera. As the image above shows, the freshly minted cloud platform already offers support for a slew of third-party applications, and Feedly says numerous other devs are currently working on their own for the near future. Now, if you didn't think Mountain View's recent spring cleaning could have a huge influence in such a short span of time, hear this: Feedly's touting that its user base has more than tripled since the announcement, making the jump from 4 to 12 million through the end of last month. Only time will tell if Feedly ends up being a worthy Reader replacement, so perhaps now would be the perfect instance to start deciding whether or not this will be the proper solution to all your RSS needs.
Feedly promises raft of new features, integration with Reeder and other apps
Now that Feedly has taken in more than 500,000 Google Reader refugees, it's unveiled a community-driven feature roadmap that'll guide it for the rest of the year. Sitting atop the list is speed, which the team says will be boosted by fresh hardware and the help of new hires. Windows 8 and Windows Phone support, access to Feedly via the web without a plugin, searching within a user's feeds and refined group sharing are coming down the pipeline as well. Naturally, a raft of bug fixes round out the planned updates. The outfit also revealed that Reeder, Press, Nextgen Reader, Newsify and gReader will sport Feedly integration before Mountain View's service retires on July 1st. Word of Google Reader's demise may have caused anguish, but it looks like suitable alternatives are beginning to flourish.
Reeder updated to connect with Feedbin, or nothing at all
Personally, I'm still in denial about losing my beloved Google Reader in the near future. The web-based RSS reader has been a standby ever since I started using RSS, and even when I used other services, like the great Reeder app on iOS, they ran through Google Reader to get their content. But the times they are a'changin', and as of July 1, Google Reader will be gone for good. Reeder has gotten out ahead on this one, and just recently pushed out an update for its iPhone version that liberates the app from Google Reader's clutches. You can now use Reeder with an alternate service called Feedbin, or you can use it as a standalone RSS reader, just by punching in your feeds manually. Unfortunately, Feedbin is a pay service (that costs US$2 a month to use), so it's not exactly a one-for-one replacement for GReader. But this is not the only update you'll see from Reeder: The company says the plan is to both update the iPad and Mac versions to 2.0 (which is why they're currently free), with plenty of extra compatibility, and the iPhone version is also set to get even more services in the future. So things are still in flux. As for me, I still have to find a service to replace my GReader, and Feedbin isn't it. We've already put together a nice list of alternatives, and from what I've heard so far, Feedly appears to be the frontrunner. Feel free to share any other insight you might have in the comments below.
Feedly hits 3 million users, updates its iOS apps
Feedly has quickly become the RSS feed-reading client to beat since the announcement of Google Reader's impending shutdown. Since Google's March 13 announcement, Feedly says it has seen over 3 million new users join the service. Fresh off an influx of new users, the service has announced new versions of its mobile client for iPod, iPad, iPod touch and Android. For new users making the switch from Google Reader the process is simple: sign up for Feedly before Reader is gone on July 1 and your feeds will transfer over. The updated app features an improved search engine which improved the speed of finding what you're looking for, and has over 50 million RSS feeds right to your device. It boasts an improved search algorithm that utilizes the searches of the entire Feedly community to find the most relevant feed results for your search. In addition, the app has added a new feature called "Must Reads." Posts from the feeds you promote as "Must Reads" will be moved to the top of your feed panel and "Today" section. Sharing has been improved with the addition of Google+ and the option to select which service will appear as the sharing shortcut in the main toolbar. The update also removes the ability for users to search just their own feeds. This development has lead to many comments from chagrined longtime users on their official announcement blog. The company says the feature is too resource heavy for the current version and hopes to restore it in a future update. TechCrunch is reporting Feedly is also finally addressing their long-term business model, one that will ultimately ask some users to pay for the service. In an email with Feedly cofounder Cyril Moutran, the executive implied they would be exploring a freemium model for power users. "We have also heard from our power users that they would like deeper integration with other services they use and pay for, like Evernote and Dropbox. We intend to launch a premium version of Feedly this year on a subscription basis that would include new features for power users." The updated Feedly apps are available in the App Store.
Feedly Mobile revamp caters to Reader escapees with fast search, Must Reads
The phaseout of Google Reader is quickly becoming a boon for developers still carrying the torch for newsreader apps -- just ask Feedly, which now says it took on 3 million new users in the two weeks since Google's decision. Rather than simply wait for more customers to roll in on their own, though, the company is taking matters into its own hands with a major refresh of Feedly Mobile for Android and iOS. The update brings a reworked search engine that's both extra-quick and makes topic suggestions based on the collective subscriptions of the Feedly user base, getting better as more readers join the ranks. Other updates also serve those who want to keep things moving quickly. A new Must Reads section prioritizes feeds, a title-only view maximizes screen space and an updated sharing panel both allows a customizable shortcut as well as (slightly ironic) sharing to Google+. Once you've gotten over the sting of another Google spring cleaning, Feedly's potential solutions await at the source links.
Feedly picks up over 500,000 Google Reader defectors
It looks like Feedly's promises of a "seamless transition" worked. The newsfeed service recently reported that more than 500,000 Google Reader users have joined its ranks following the announcement that the popular aggregator will close this summer. It multiplied its bandwidth ten times over, added new servers to cope with the sudden influx and hopes to keep the service up as much as possible as more users pour in. In an effort to keep its new clientele happy, Feedly has promised to listen to suggestions and add new features on a weekly basis as well. But if it doesn't, don't worry; we suspect there'll be many more alternatives pitching for your RSS feeds over the coming weeks.
Feedly promises 'seamless' transition after Google Reader to its own backend
If you (like many of us at Engadget) are in a state of shock facing the end of Google Reader this summer, there may be an easy replacement. RSS app/service Feedly posts on its blog that it has been anticipating the shutdown of Google's service for some time, and invested in building its own backend. Dubbed "Normandy" it is intended to be a clone of the Google API running on Google's own App Engine, set to swap in on July 1st when the service ends. Even better, in the comments Feedly states it will open the API for other 3rd party clients once everything is stable. The only bad news? If you're considering jumping onboard you're not the only one -- Feedly's servers are pretty crushed right now, so you know, just test the waters out some time in the next few months.
