AolReader
Latest
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.
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.
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?
AOL launches Reader for RSS
AOL has announced the debut of its latest online service --an RSS reader to replace the soon-to-be-defunct Google Reader. The new AOL Reader is a no-frills web app for reading your RSS feeds. There are no mobile apps, but the service does have a tablet-friendly layout for your on-the-go reading. The AOL Reader 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, card view and full view that shows the entire article. Each view allows you to easily mark an item as read. You can also star it or share it on social networks like Google+, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. There are ads on the right side of the screen, which showcase other AOL content like AOL On. AOL Reader will let you add RSS subscriptions manually to the service or import them in bulk from your Google Reader account via an OPML file. You can also browse through AOL's catalog of suggested sites and add RSS feeds from there. AOL Reader is a decent first effort that'll give RSS fans another alternative to Feedly and Digg Reader. You can access the beta service by going to reader.aol.com and signing up for an account using your AOL login, a Facebook account or Twitter credentials. Note: TUAW is a part of AOL Tech.
AOL Reader beta officially available for your RSS-perusing needs (hands-on)
Wondering how AOL's RSS client will rank as a Google Reader replacement? Today's the day we find out, as the doors to the AOL Reader beta have officially swung open. Feedly's been absorbing Google's castaways for weeks now, and Digg's only two days away from launching its own freemium RSS client -- but we couldn't resist getting an early taste of what our parent company (Disclaimer alert!) is cooking. Join us after the break for all the details about this latest entrant in the field of feed readers.
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.
