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Reeder 2 hits the App Store, brings back iPad compatibility
When Silvio Rizzi pulled down the Reeder app for iPad after Google Reader's death, he swore to develop and eventually release a new version. Now, Rizzi has made good on that promise by launching Reeder 2 -- a reworking of the older RSS reader that's compatible with both iPhones and iPads. The app sports a brand-spankin' new interface that replaces the old browns and sepias with gray, pulls feeds from several sources -- including Feedly and Feedbin -- and it can now also open links on Google Chrome. Reeder 2's now available on the App Store, but if you feel iffy shelling out $4.99 for it, you can give the RSS client a whirl by getting the older iPhone version for the low, low price of free.
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.
I'm afraid to tell you about Shrook, but RSS users deserve to know
As I write this article I am filled with fear. I'm going to tell you about the only RSS reader I have found that fits my style of browsing, but I'm worried that in doing so I will unintentionally curse it. You see, ever since the death of Google Reader, I've been searching high and low for an RSS reader that meets my needs. It needs to be fast (web-based or standalone app, it doesn't matter); it must accept OPML files; and it needs to have a reliable search feature. That's not too much to ask, is it? Well apparently it is, because after over a month and a half of searching and testing, I've only just now stumbled across Shrook, the free RSS reader of my dreams. I'm not going to go through the entire list of both standalone and web apps that failed me, but here are a few dead-end streets I found myself on: Feedly -- No search feature (unless you're one of 5,000 testers of the US$5 Feedly Pro). AOL Reader -- No search feature. Digg Reader -- No search feature. (seeing a pattern yet?) NetNewsWire -- Has a search feature! Huzzah! It also has system-crippling memory requirements and can't do anything in less than 45 seconds. I has a sad. As you can see, the most common reason for disappointment was a lack of search features. I thought I had discovered my new go-to in The Old Reader and then, after the service blew up in popularity, almost died entirely and was brought back to life, the search option disappeared. It was like a sign from the internet gods that I should just give up. And then I found Shrook on the Mac App Store. Shrook has been around for a very, very long time, and although I had overlooked it in my panicky search for a Google Reader replacement, I finally figured I'd give it a shot. All I can say is that it's as close to perfect as I could possibly want. It's fast, has a fantastic search function and auto-refreshes constantly, but uses only a small fraction of the system resources of every other standalone reader I've tried. Oh, and it's free. I don't know what kind of voodoo magic was used to code Shrook, and frankly I don't want to know. The only thing that I ask of the RSS gods is that Shrook live on for eternity. Now go download it and enjoy it with me; just please don't break it, or so help me...
Mac App of the Week: Caffeinated is a polished RSS reader for desktop users
Caffeinated was a polished Google Reader RSS client with a great layout; but the demise of Google Reader forced developer Curtis Hard to rewrite the core components of the app and liberate it from its Google roots. Now in version 2.0.1, Caffeinated is a very capable standalone RSS reader for OS X. Caffeinated looks likes most RSS readers with a three-column layout that includes your RSS feeds on the left, a feed preview in the middle and a full article view on the right. Now that Caffeinated is no longer tied into Google Reader, you'll have to manually add your RSS feeds or import them if you have an OPML file that you exported from another service. I was able to import my Google Reader backup without an issue and was up and running with Caffeinated in just a few minutes. Manually entering feeds is equally as easy -- just enter the URL of the website or the feed that you want to add. Caffeinated supports groups / folders so you can organize your RSS feeds. It's easy to move your feeds once you add them into Caffeinated. Just click on a feed and then drag and drop it where you want it. You can put an individual feed at the top of the list, at the bottom of the list or drop it in a folder / group. You can also drag groups to rearrange them manually or sort them alphabetically Unlike other readers that display feeds in a magazine-style layout, Caffeinated only supports a list view. It's a polished view that shows you the publication name, the title of the article, the first sentence and a preview of the article's main image. There's also a time stamp so you can see when the article was posted. Buttons at the top of the middle column allow you to easily filter your list to include unread items, all items and starred items. A search field allows you find articles in the feed or group. Though Caffeinated's views are limited, its options for reading are not. A simple click and hold will reveal a contextual menu that's filled with options to let you share, bookmark and mark an item as read / unread. Third-party services include Buffer, Evernote, Safari reading list, Delicious, Pinboard, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Instapaper and Pocket. The app also supports Readability so full articles are easy to read and not filled with ads or other fluff. This built-in Readablity support can be toggled on / off in one click. When new articles come in, notifications stream into the OS X notification center. One missing feature in Caffeinated is the ability to add authenticated feeds. Many OS X users connect to internal company RSS feeds that require the user to type in a username and password in order to view the feed. Though it does not officially support authenticated feeds yet, developer Hard has said support for password-protected feeds is on his to-do list. He recently released a video showing this feature in action, so authenticated feeds will likely be added to the app soon. Caffeinated is an excellent RSS reader for OS X users who don't want or need mobile syncing. If the bulk of your reading is done on your Mac, then Caffeniated definitely is worth checking out. You can grab a free 14-day trial from Caffeinated's website, which is under construction at the time of the writing of this post. You can also buy a copy of the software from the Mac App Store for US$5.99.
Reeder for iPhone updated with support for Feedly and Feed Wrangler
Reeder for iPhone, the popular mobile RSS reader from Silvio Rizzi, was updated today to support Feed Wrangler and Feedly. With this update to Version 3.2, Reeder now supports Feedbin, Feedly, Feed Wrangler, Fever and Readability. Customers looking for the Mac and iPad version of Reeder will be disappointed to find out that those apps have been pulled from the iOS and Mac App Store. They still rely on Google Reader for feed management, so Rizzi has removed the apps until he can update them with support for third-party services. There is no ETA as to when these updated versions will be available. While you wait for the new Reeder apps, you can check out these alternative 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.
Third-Party RSS Readers-- Which ones are ready for the Google Reader shutdown?
The Google Reader shut down is imminent, and RSS app developers are scrambling to move their apps away from the Google sync service. Some third-party apps have selected Feedly or Feedbin to drive their syncing, while others have decided to go it alone with their own syncing solution. Still others have decided to become a standalone reader with no syncing until they have time to evaluate which syncing service is the best for their customers. Here is a list of popular third-party RSS reading software and their current syncing status: iOS Reader Apps Mr. Reader [iPad; $3.99] Syncs with BazQux Reader, Feedbin, FeedHQ, Feedly, Feed Wrangler and Fever. Reeder for iPhone [iPhone; Free] Syncs with Feedbin and Fever now. Also standalone/local RSS without syncing. Feedly and Feed Wrangler (No support for smart streams yet in Reeder) in version 3.2, which is pending approval. Update: Reeder Version 3.2 went live July 2. Reeder for iPad [iPad; Free] App will be pulled until a new version with syncing is available. Slow Feeds [iOS Universal; $2.99] Syncs with Feed Wrangler, Feedbin, FeedHQ and NewsBlur. Newsify [iOS Universal; Free] Syncs with Feedly. Byline for iPhone [iPhone; $2.99] Syncs with Feedly. Byline Universal [iOS Universal; Free with IAP] Syncs with Feedly. Favs [iOS Universal; $2.99] Favorites browser that syncs your private starred articles with Feedbin. Readlines for Feedbin [iOS Universal; $0.99] Syncs with Feedbin. Bulletin for Feedbin [iPhone; $0.99] Syncs with Feedbin. Sunstroke [iOS Universal; $4.99] Syncs with Fever. Ashes for Fever [iOS Universal; $7.99] Syncs with Fever. Pulse [iOS Universal; Free] A standalone reader, but you should import your Google Reader feeds as soon as possible using these instructions from Pulse. NewsBar [iPhone; $3.99] Standalone reader with iCloud sync. iPad version in the works. OS X Reader Apps Readkit for Mac [OS X; $4.99] Syncs with Fever, NewsBlur, Feedbin and Feed Wrangler. Also standalone RSS capabilities. Favs [OS X; $9.99] Favorites browser that syncs your private starred articles with Feedbin. Reeder for Mac [OS X; Free] App will be pulled until a new version with syncing is available. Caffeinated [OS X;$5.99] A standalone RSS reader. Follow these instructions if you are updating from version 1.3 of the app. NewsBar [OS X; $4.99] Standalone reader with iCloud sync to the iPhone. Leaf RSS Reader [OS X; $4.99] A standalone reader, with possible syncing in the future. Read this post about Leaf's migration away from Google Reader. NetNewsWire 4 [OS X; $10] NetNewsWire 4, the first version of the classic reader from current owner Black Pixel, is a standalone OS X app with mobile app syncing in the future. 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. For those who have chosen a Google Reader replacement and are looking for apps, here is a list of third-party RSS Readers organized by service. Feedly: Mr. Reader, Newsify, Byline for iPhone and Byline Universal. Reeder for iPhone version 3.2 with Feedly support is pending App Store approval. (Update: Reeder Version 3.2 went live July 2.) Feed Wrangler: Mr. Reader, Slow Feeds and Readkit for Mac. Reeder for iPhone version 3.2 with Feed Wrangler support is pending App Store approval. (Update: Reeder Version 3.2 went live July 2.) Feedbin: Mr. Reader , Reeder for iPhone, Slow Feeds, Favs, Readlines for Feedbin, Bulletin for Feedbin and Readkit for Mac. Fever: Mr. Reader , Reeder for iPhone, Sunstroke, Ashes for Fever and Readkit for Mac. NewsBlur: Slow Feeds. Standalone: Pulse, Caffeinated for Mac, Leaf RSS Reader for Mac, NetNewsWire 4 and NewsBar for iOS and OS X.
Github tool extracts all your Google Reader data, including starred items, tags and more
Google Reader is shutting down and you, hopefully, have backed up your Reader data for future import into your reader app of choice. As pointed out by Mihai Parparita of persistent.info, Google's Takeout service creates a backup of the RSS subscriptions, but fails to include all the data like starred items, tags, comments and more. To grab all your data, Parparita has created a tool that uses Google's API to pull down everything but the kitchen sink from your Reader account. You can download the reader_archive tool from github and check out the article on persistent.info. The article details other tools like CloudPull and the readerisdead.com website that compiles tools, tips and tricks on extracting all your data from Google Reader. Happy Google Reader backup weekend, folks!
RSS Reader Roundup: Feedbin, Feed Wrangler and NewsBlur
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 our series, we are turning your eyes towards an outstanding article by Josh Centers of Tidbits, who took a detailed look at Feedbin, Feed Wrangler and NewsBlur. Though they lack the name recognition of readers from companies like Digg and AOL, these smaller products hold their own and, in some cases, surpass their bigger brethren. Feed Wrangler is an excellent example as it has a great web UI and already works with third-party apps like Mr. Reader for the iPad and Readkit for the Mac. On the iPhone, it also lets you export articles to Drafts. Feedbin mixes the best of both worlds with a Google Reader-like web interface and syncing with Reeder for iPhone, Mr. Reader and Readkit. 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. Head over to TidBits for screenshots and additional insight on the brave, new world of RSS readers.
RSS Reader Roundup: AOL jumps into RSS with web-based reader, no mobile apps yet
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 our series, we will look at AOL Reader, a new RSS service from AOL. Note: TUAW is a part of AOL Tech. Initial Setup and Impressions AOL Reader will allow you to login to your Google Reader account and transfer your feeds and folders. You can also bulk import your feeds via an OPML file. Tags and starred items are not imported from Google Reader. RSS subscriptions can be added manually by typing in the site name or RSS URL. If you like to browse for new feeds, AOL provides a catalog of suggested sites that you can add to your AOL Reader account. AOL Reader does not allow you to export your feeds via OPML or any method. AOL Reader's UI is straightforward with a left navigation bar that houses all your RSS feeds and a main pane that previews all your content. You can choose from a few different layouts including a list view, a magazine-style card view (shown above), a three-column pane view and a full view that shows the entire article. There are ads on the right side of the screen, which showcase other AOL content like AOL On. Each view allows you to easily mark an item as read and unread, but the read/unread behavior is inconsistent. You can mark an entire folder or an entire feed as read, but this change is permanent. You cannot go back and mark individual items as unread. You can, however, mark things as unread when browse through your articles one at a time. When you read your feed on an article-by-article basis, each article is marked as read automatically, and there is a toggle that lets you mark it unread if you want. As shown above, I find it very unusual that this mark unread toggle is there when you read individually and gone when you digest your feeds in bulk. AOL Reader allows you to star articles you want to remember and add tags to help organize unruly feeds. The web app supports folders, called categories, and imports them in nicely from Google Reader. You can organize your subscriptions and manage these categories in Reader Options > Organize. Note that AOL Reader is different from other readers when it comes to deleting folders. Many other readers will delete the folder and all the feeds inside of it. AOL Reader removes the category, but saves all the subscriptions within that folder as individual feeds. This can be nightmarish if you delete a category with 30 feeds and then are left to delete the leftover subscriptions one feed at a time. Major Features Here's a rundown of the major features of your average RSS reader and information on which ones are supported by AOL Reader. Google Reader Import: Yes, automatic by logging into Reader using your Google account. Also supports OPML import. Does not import tags or starred items. AOL Reader does not allow you to export your feeds via OPML or any method. Folder Support: Yes, imported from Google and create your own. Deleting a folder/category only removes the folder. The app keeps the RSS feeds that were formerly in the folder. Authenticated RSS feeds: No. Keyboard shortcuts: Yes. Tags: Yes. You can create new ones, but they are not imported from Google Reader. Resizable elements like fonts, columns: Yes, you can change the font sizes and toggle between a dark and light theme. Column width is fixed, but you can switch the views between List, Card, Full and Pane. Mark all read/unread: You can mark all the items in an RSS feed and all the items in a folder as read. This change is permanent, you cannot go back and mark them as unread. If you read articles individually and they are marked as read, you can go back and mark the individual articles as unread. Search/Sort: There is no RSS search. Surprisingly, the search field at the top of the Reader app searches the web. You can sort articles so the newest or the oldest is at top. You can also sort by read/unread status. Star/Favorite: Yes, you can star items. Starred items are not imported from Google Reader, though. Read Later/Offline: None. Social networks: You can share articles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google +. You can also send via email. API/Third-Party: API for developers and third party apps (available now, free during beta) Other features: AOL Reader has a handy setting that'll let you scroll through a feed to mark it as read. Scroll to read only works in Full View. Pricing: AOL Reader is available for free. There are smallish, visual ads on the right-most column. Mobile Syncing Mobile apps are not yet available, but coming soon for iOS and Android. In the interim, you can use your mobile browser as the UI for Reader is tablet-friendly. What's Missing The two biggest items missing from AOL Reader are search and an option to read offline in a service like Instapaper or Pocket. AOL Mobile apps are also MIA, with the promise that they are under development. Conclusion The new AOL Reader is a decent first effort, but it lacks the polish of other readers like NetNewsWire, Feedly and Digg Reader. The UI can be inconsistent regarding read/unread, and there are no mobile apps. On the plus side, the service does have a tablet-friendly layout for your on-the-go reading, and performance is responsive.
RSS Reader Roundup: NetNewsWire 4 polishes its desktop app, but misses on mobile
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 latest post in our series, we will look at NetNewsWire, a service that has seen its share of ups and downs since its debut in 2002. Initial Setup and Impressions NetNewsWire was acquired by Black Pixel in 2011 and development of the reader stalled as its new owner revamped the software. After two years, the beta version of NetNewsWire 4 for the Mac was released on June 24, just in time for the shut down of Google Reader. Version 4 of NetNewsWire represents a new start for the well-known RSS reader. NetNewsWire was one of the first news reading apps and consequently has along history with RSS. Its transition to Google Reader back in the day and now away from Google Reader is expectedly seamless. When you fire up NetNewsWire 4 for the first time, you can easily import your Google Reader content by logging into your Google account. The app does not import tags or starred items. If you have an OPML file kicking around, you can also use that file to add your RSS feeds to the app. New feeds can be added by typing in the URL of the website or browsing through NetNewsWire's predefined list of sites. You can export your feeds from NetNewsWire 4 using an OPML file. NetNewsWire 4 has a traditional three column layout. All your feeds are in the leftmost column, previews are in the center column and the right column displays the article's content. The columns are adjustable, so you can tweak their size to fit your screen and reading preference. There is one view so you will always have these three columns until you read a full article with the app's built-in browser. A full article will change the view so you have a large center column with images and text. As shown above, a new column appears on the right that lets you switch from reading an article to browsing through the feeds. In this view, you can have multiple articles (tabs) open and easily move between them. You can customize the look of NetNewsWire 4 by switching between a day view with a white background and a night view with a dark background. You can also change the font type and the font size. The menu bar is customizable, too, allowing you to add and remove items to suit your RSS reading habits. NetNewsWire 4 supports folders, bookmarks for individual articles and favorites for feeds. You can further organize feeds by dragging them and dropping them into a folder. Folders then can be nested inside other folders for convenience, as shown above. When you delete a folder, you delete the folder itself and all the subscriptions within it. Major Features Here's a rundown of the major features of your average RSS reader and information on which ones are supported by NetNewsWire 4. Google Reader Import: Yes, automatic import via your Google account or manually via OPML import. The app does not import tags or starred items from Google. NetNewsWire 4 allows you to export your feeds via OPML. Folder Support: Yes, imported from Google and create your own. Authenticated RSS feeds: No. Keyboard shortcuts: Yes. Also has right-click contextual menus. Tags: No. Resizable elements like fonts, columns: Yes, has a night or day view and different font sizes and types. Supports full screen mode on OS X. Mark all read/unread: You can mark all items in an RSS feed and all items in a folder as read. You can also mark as unread. Search/Sort: You can search for a word in an article, in the title of an article or by author. You can also sort articles so the newest or the oldest is at top. Star/Favorite: Yes, you can save articles as bookmarks and add feeds to a Favorites section. Read Later: Supports Instapaper. Social networks: You can share articles on Facebook, via email and down to Instapaper. API/Third-Party Apps: None announced. Other features: NetNewsWire 4 has a Today section that shows only RSS feed content from today. There are also tabs that let you switch between articles which are open in the built-in browser. Pricing: This beta version is available for free and costs $10 to purchase in advance. The price will jump up to $20 when the final version with mobile sync is released. Mobile Syncing Mobile apps for version 4 are not yet available, and there is no target date for their launch. Black Pixel won't divulge its plan for syncing NetNewsWire between devices, but the company did say in March 2013 that iCloud was not suitable for syncing. What's Missing NetNewsWire 4 has all the basics you need for reading RSS feeds, but some key features from earlier versions, like smart lists and authenticated feeds, have been removed. There's also no support for tagging. Mobile apps are MIA in this beta trial, and Black Pixel has not said when these companion apps will launch. Conclusion If you want a great desktop experience, then go with NetNewsWire 4 and be patient while Black Pixel finishes off their iOS Apps. Black Pixel makes some great apps like Versions and Kaleidoscope 2. I expect their mobile NetNewsWire 4 app will be as good as their other offerings. If you want mobile syncing right away though, you will have to look elsewhere for your RSS reading needs.
RSS Reader Round-Up: Digg Reader is a nimble reader for mobile users
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 first post in our series, we will look at a new entrant in the world of RSS readers, Digg. Initial Setup and Impressions Digg Reader is designed to be a no-frills replacement for Google Reader. Like Google Reader, it's web-based and has a straight-forward UI with a left-side navigation column for your feeds and a center column for content. Digg Reader includes both an iPhone and iPad app for mobile syncing. The layout and font choice are pleasing in the web version, but there are only two views -- a list view and an expanded view that shows the article and its images. The columns fill the browser window and are not adjustable. It's a clean UI with easy access to a very helpful FAQ, settings for the Reader service and settings for each RSS Feed. Setup was quick and painless. You can import your Google Reader feeds automatically by signing into your Google Reader account using Digg Reader. Digg also imports 1,000 items per tag and puts 1,000 of your most recently starred items into the Saved folder. A manual option allows you to add RSS feeds one at a time using a URL or the name of the site. You can also browse 25 categories of RSS feeds from publishers that are recommended by Digg's editors. Digg does not import OPML files, so you will have to use Google Reader or the manual option to add RSS feeds. OPML export is also not available, but on the roadmap for future features. Digg Reader supports folders and lets you both create new ones and delete existing ones, even those that were imported from Google Reader. Just a note that when you delete a folder, you delete the folder and all the subscriptions within them. You can organize feeds by dragging them and dropping them into a folder. Performance was smooth and responsive across the board. Major Features Here's a rundown of the major features of your average RSS reader and information on which ones are supported by Digg Reader. Google Reader Import: Yes, automatic by logging into Reader using your Google account. Does not support OPML import or export, yet. Folder Support: Yes, imported from Google and create your own. Authenticated RSS feeds: No. Keyboard shortcuts: Yes. Tags: Digg imports 1,000 items per tag. You can't add your own tags within Digg Reader, yet. Slated for a future release. Resizable elements like fonts, columns: Not on the desktop, but mobile does have three text sizes and different display modes that change based on your environment. Mark all read/unread: You can mark all items in an RSS feed and all items in a folder as read. There is no mark unread option yet. Search/Sort: No search or sorting available yet. There is a "Popular" link that compiles the most popular unread items in your feeds, however. Star/Favorite: Yes, you can mark items and set them aside. The "Save" feature has the option to be private or public. It's an all or none option right now, so you share all your saved items or you share none. It's not applied to individual articles. Read Later: Supports Pocket, Readability and Instapaper on the the web. Instapaper, Pocket and Bit.ly on mobile. Social networks: You can share articles on Facebook and Twitter. API/Third-Party: Future integration with Integration with additional third party services (like Buffer, Evernote, and IFTTT). Other features: Ability to Digg an item. Paperboy feature on mobile that downloads recent articles when you leave a location. Pricing: This version is available for free, with plans to offer a premium version with advanced features in the coming months. Premium pricing not yet revealed. Mobile Syncing Besides its web app, Digg also updated its mobile apps with support for Digg Reader. The mobile app has a clean, easy-to-use UI that mirrors the web version. On the iPhone, the two-column layout is collapsible with the content area being able to slide out of the way. It is available in portrait-view only. The larger screen of the iPad lends itself well to reading so you get a mixture of the iPhone and web version. You get the two-column layout similar to the web app when you are browsing through all your feeds and a single column view when you are viewing all the articles in a feed. The iPad version also allows you to browse in portrait or landscape. The mobile version has a built-in feature that lets you tap on an article title and switch between a text-only view and full web view with images. It's convenient to be able to get rid of the fluff and show only the text, especially on the iPhone which has limited space for reading. Social networking support is present in the mobile app with the ability to share an article via iMessage, email, Twitter and Facebook. Syncing was immediate with changes reflected in the web app as soon as I closed out the mobile app and opened up my Mac. The same can be said about going from a Mac to mobile. Marked items, saved items and more were updated almost immediately. What's Missing Digg repeatedly said this is a beta version, so don't expect to have your cake and eat it too at this point. The company wanted to "build a simple, clean, fast, uncluttered reading experience," which it did and did well. The tradeoff is that Digg Reader is missing a few key features like search and the option to mark an item as unread. That's ok in my book as I would rather have the stable, responsive infrastructure that I saw in Digg Reader, than a feature-rich package that is slow and buggy. One other drawback that affects switchers is the lack of OPML import, so try to import your feeds before Google Reader goes offline. Conclusion If you use Digg or want a nimble, lightweight RSS Reader with mobile support, then I would definitely take a look at Digg. If these missing features are a deal breaker, then look elsewhere for now, but keep Digg in the back of your mind. The developers behind Digg Reader have a proven track record with News.me and will likely improve the platform quickly. %Gallery-192509%
AOL Reader launches into private beta, thanks Google for the opportunity
Google: "Eh, we're kind of over this Reader thing. Let's go launch some balloons." AOL: "Why, thanks guys -- don't mind if we do!" The above mentioned quotes are still unofficial, mind you, but it appears that AOL (disclaimer: that's Engadget's parent company) is joining Feedly and Digg in an effort to capture the audiences who will soon be forced to flee from Google's Reader product. AOL Reader launched today in beta form, promising to collect "all your favorite websites, in one place." It appears that the design language follows that introduced in the entity's Alto mail product, and if you've forgotten your AOL password, fret not -- those who request (and receive) an invite will be able to sign in via Facebook, Google or Twitter. Oh, and judging by the shot above, it's designed to work universally across screen sizes and devices, including your tablets, phones, desktops, laptops and space-age computational creations. Of note, it appears that the sign-up forms aren't entirely active just yet, as we're hearing that the bona fide launch won't occur until next week. Update: We've confirmed that invites will be accepted starting on Monday, June 24th.
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.
Feed Wrangler: A subscription-based RSS reader for web and iOS
Feed Wrangler (US$19/year) is David Smith's subscription-based RSS aggregation and syncing service for web and iOS devices. If you're a Google Reader user, you're probably aware that the service will shut down on July 1st. This means you'll either go back to browsing your favorite news and blog websites the old fashioned way or you'll be looking for an alternative RSS reader. Though I'm not a heavy RSS user, I am curious to find a good alternative to Google Reader. And now that Feed Wrangler has launched, I thought it would be worth checking out. Feed Wrangler takes a different approach to RSS reading. Of course, you get to add feeds, view all your favorite web content in one place, and sync across multiple devices. But Feed Wrangler is somewhat different to others in that you pay a subscription fee to use the service. The idea being your support allows Feed Wrangler to offer excellent performance, while developing, growing and improving. While Feed Wrangler is simple to get to grips with for beginners and light users, advanced users have not been forgotten. Smart Streams lets you create custom feeds based on text filters. Very handy if you're looking to keep track of something specific. You can also filter items out by creating a filter with a particular search term, keeping unwanted content away from your feeds. Other features include full text search of subscribed feeds, starring and integration of read later services Pocket and Instapaper, a welcome feature, indeed! On the web, Feed Wrangler has a really clean and easy-to-use interface. It puts your content front and center, without any unnecessary distractions or cumbersome features. To add feeds, import from Google Reader, an OPML file or enter URL and RSS addresses manually. Adding feeds while browsing is made easy by clicking on a custom bookmark link to Feed Wrangler from the website you want to add. At version 1.0.1, the universal, free iOS app offers the same features as the web version as well as sharing options to Mail, Message, Facebook etc. The app interface is also clean and clear cut, though very basic, with everything pointing to content. My only immediate gripe was that there was no option to change the text size, which can be frustrating on mobile devices. But regardless, in no time I had my feeds setup across my devices -- everything syncing up perfectly. After spending a bit more time with Feed Wrangler, I was pleased to find how stable and speedy it was -- things worked as they should. It was great to be able to set up Smart Streams and filter out content I wasn't interested in, a feature I've not taken advantage of before. At the end of my time with Feed Wrangler, I found myself wondering if I would miss Google Reader using a service like Feed Wrangler. The conclusion I came to was that I would miss Google Reader, but I think purely for nostalgic reasons. For me, Feed Wrangler did everything I wanted a RSS reader to do. With time, Feed Wrangler could easily become my go-to RSS reader. It's clear there's still a bit of growing up to do, particularly in terms of design and interaction, but the core functionality is well and truly in place. Would I pay $19 annually to use it? If I were a heavy RSS user looking for solid performance and great features, then yes, I would. And taking into consideration Feed Wrangler's commitment to developing and growing (there's already a Mac client on the way), the $19 price tag makes even more sense.
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.
Digg to build a Google Reader replacement with same API, new features
The news of Google Reader's upcoming demise has put the spotlight on several alternatives that RSS fans can only hope will fill the gap. The latest to vie for our attention doesn't even exist yet: Digg just announced that it will be creating a reader of its own. According to its blog, the aggregation service was apparently already planning to build such a reader, but upon hearing that Google's version will bite the dust, the company is kicking into gear to develop a suitable replacement. Digg's reader will maintain what it calls the best of Google Reader's features, including its API, while incorporating changes that reflect the relevance of social networks and other popular Internet communities.
Alternatives to Google Reader for OS X and iOS users
Google caused a stir yesterday when it announced that it will shut down Google reader this summer. Though you have a few months to migrate to a new RSS reader, now is the time to start looking at alternatives. We've compiled a list of web services, OS X clients and iOS apps for you to consider while you prepare to make the switch. Don't be quick to abandon your favorite apps just yet, as most will likely migrate away from Google Reader in the next few months. Both Reeder and Feeddler, two popular Google Reader clients, have said they are not going away. If you have any suggestions for clients or services not mentioned in this post, please share them in the comments. Web Services Feedly Feedly is a news aggregator with a newspaper-like flair. It has its own iOS and Android apps so you can setup your feeds in the browser and view them on your mobile devices. There's no desktop app, but you can use Fluid to create one. In response to Google's announcement, Feedly said it has been working on a clone of the Google Reader API that could easily replace Google Reader both in Feedly and in other popular Google Reader apps. Newsblur Newsblur is another news aggregator that pulls down stories from your favorite blogs, podcasts and YouTube channels using their URL or RSS feed. You can access your news via the web, iPad, iPhone or Android device. The basic service is free while a premium account (US$1 per month) adds extra features like unlimited sites, private shares and more. Feed Wrangler Feed Wrangler is an RSS aggregator service from David Smith that is ready to enter beta testing. He describes it as a backend syncing/aggregation subscription service with web and native clients. Smith started work on the service as a replacement for Google Reader and planned to launch it this summer. After Google's big announcement, those plans have been moved up. You can sign up on Feed Wrangler's website to be alerted when the service is ready to launch. Feedspot Feedspot, created by Anuj Agarwal, is another startup service that's building a new RSS platform to replace Google Reader. It already has a working website and you can create a login to check it out for free. Feedspot lets you import your Google Reader feeds. Bloglines Bloglines is another online agregator that lets you subcribe, manage and share news feeds and other web content. It's been around since 2003 and has changed hands a few times. Now owned by MerchantCircle, Bloglines is one of the largest news and feed aggregators using RSS. It is web-based; there are no native apps. Fever Fever is a PHP and MySQL application that you run on your own Apache server. Fever serves up your RSS feeds and rates them so you can see the hottest stories first. It's not for everyone and developer Shaun Iman, who created Fever, has some tips for those considering switching to this self-hosted option. There is a $30 one-time fee to use the software. There's also a native iOS client, Sunstroke, created by Gone East. NetNewsWire NetNewsWire debuted in 2002 and was one of the first desktop RSS readers. The app has changed hands a few times over the years and has undergone a lot of changes. Now owned by Black Pixel, NetNewsWire is receiving a major update in the coming months that'll bring syncing to its OS X, iPad and iPhone apps. All apps will also get a modern design. OS X Apps Readr, $4.99 Readr is a basic RSS client capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds. You'll see a setting for syncing with Google Reader, but that is optional, not required. The app also integrates with Pocket, Instapaper, Readability and Evernote. NewsRack, $7.99 NewsRack is a basic RSS reader for Mac OS X with a keyboard-friendly, tabbed interface. Syncs with Google Reader, but that feature is optional, not required. Created by Ole Zorn, the developer behind Pythonista for the iPad, Newsrack hasn't been updated in a over a year. Hopefully, the Google Reader News will be incentive to bring some fresh features to the app. Pulp, $9.99 Pulp takes your favorite news feeds and presents them in an magazine-style layout. You can scan through previews and quickly find the stories that interest you the most. You can export your current Google Reader feeds as an OPML file and import them into Pulp for OS X. Pulp works on the Mac & iPad. Headlines, $1.99 Headlines brings together the news you are interested in and displays the content in newspaper-style columns. It supports RSS feeds and lets you organize them into 7 pages of content. This is a good option for someone with a smaller RSS feed portfolio. Feedy $2.99 Feedy is an RSS reader that uses Twitter and Facebook to score the items in your feeds. Those topics with a high rating float to the top of your news stream. It's designed to help you find the news that you care about. iOS Apps Rss Runner, Free RSS Runner is a non-Google Reader client that supports 9 different feed formats, offline reading and background downloading. It'll import your current feeds from Google Reader as well. News, $0.99 News App is a basic RSS Reader for the iPhone and iPad. No accounts (Google, Yahoo!, etc.) of any type are required. It's not as robust as the more popular Google Reader-based apps, but it will still work a few months from now. xFeed RSS Reader, Free xFeed is a lean RSS Reader for the iPhone and iPad. Like the News app, it's not as robust as the more popular Google Reader-based apps, but it will still work a few months from now. TLDR, Free TLDR is a news aggregator that pulls down 100 feeds from 14 news categories. The app gives you short summaries of each article so you can quickly decide which story to read. If you are tired of managing RSS, TLDR is a nice alternative. Zite, Free Zite is a news service instead of an RSS reader. The service scans news stories and pulls down those articles that match your areas of interest. It's not a replacement for your RSS reader, just a different way of consuming your news.
Google Reader to shut down with other services in another 'spring cleaning'
Last spring, Page and Co. retired iGoogle, Google Mini and other services as part of a 'spring cleaning' initiative to help it better focus its efforts, and another clean-up round has just begun. This time around, Google Reader and seven other services are getting the axe, bringing the firm's total of features closed since 2011 to 70. Mountain View says it's sunsetting the feed reader because it has "declined," and that turning it off will allow it to pour its energy into fewer products. Reader will keep the lights on until July 1st, and diehard users will be able to keep their data and subscriptions by using the outfit's Takeout tool. Other products being put out to pasture include the company's Building Maker, Cloud Connect, Apps Script's GUI builder and five UiApp widgets, Search API for shopping and the CalDAV API (for developers who aren't whitelisted, that is). The internet giant also announced -- and confirmed our fears -- that it'll no longer sell or provide updates for Snapseed Desktop for Mac and Windows. Blackberry's Google Voice app is being shelved as well, but the company suggests its HTML 5 experience is a nice alternative. By the sounds of it, CEO Larry Page is still making good on his promise to keep Google focused on fewer things. Hit the bordering source links for more details. Update: Apps Script is sticking around, but its GUI Builder and a quintet of UiApp widgets are being deprecated.
