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TUAW's Daily App: Byline
We last covered the iOS RSS reader Byline back in May of last year, when it had just hit version 3. Now the app's been updated to version 4, and it's still an excellent RSS reader for both the iPhone and the iPad. Version 4 brought universal capability to the free version of the app (it has ads, though you can get rid of them for just a few bucks). The new version also adds an easy way to "Mark All as Read" (just slide the "Edit" button), and the 4.0 release (as well as the minor releases after it) fix all kinds of bugs and add in some performance improvements. Byline still hooks up directly with your Google Reader account, integrates with Instapaper and Twitter very easily and has an offline reading mode that lets you browse your RSS feeds even when you're not connected to the internet. In other words, Byline is a quality app that's only getting better. If you still haven't settled on a good RSS reader for your iPhone or iPad, it's definitely worth a look.
Boxcar, Byline now free and ad-supported
Here's news of two big apps that have gone free (with ads) in the past week. Boxcar is up first -- the app pushes notifications from any number of social and information services out to your iPhone or iPad, so you can know when you've got a Twitter DM or a Growl notice waiting for you elsewhere. Boxcar (on the App Store) has added support for iPad, and the core functionality is all free. The app comes with ads automatically, or you can pay an in-app purchase of $4.99 to turn them off forever. If you need a lot of quick notices on your iPhone or iPad (and don't want to bother with individual solutions for every app), give it a look. Byline has made a similar move -- the Google Reader, erm, reader still has its paid version in place, or you can download Byline Free, which offers the same RSS functionality with ads included. I don't see an in-app way to upgrade, but if you try the free version and decide you'd rather support the developer directly, you can buy the full version for $4.99. This is likely only the beginning of premium paid apps going ad-supported -- with the arrival of iAds in iOS 4, we'll probably see a lot more developers using Apple's advertising solution to supplement their development costs.
First Look: Byline 3.0 for iPhone
The folks over at Phantom Fish software have released version 3 of their popular Byline feed reader app for the iPhone. The update brings with it several new features, including integration with Instapaper, gesture-based navigation, and improved performance. Byline works by fetching a list of feeds from your Google Reader subscriptions, and caching a copy of the articles on your iPhone for easy reading or viewing while offline. Now I'll admit, while Google Reader does simplify feed management by keeping all of your subscriptions and updates in one place, it's not my cup of tea. Personally, I prefer to manage feeds directly from my reader app, rather than having to go somewhere else to do it. That aside, Byline 3 keeps the process simple by asking for your Google login, and then quickly going straight to your list of feeds without requiring any additional steps or setup. Each item is displayed right in the app, allowing quick navigation between stories and feeds. Want to view the link in Mobile Safari or send it to Instapaper? That can be done by tapping the forward menu icon on any item. Starring an item or adding notes is also simple and intuitive. Since I'm a big fan of flexibility when it comes to iPhone apps, I was pleased to see the number of options offered in the settings panel. Viewing thresholds for several of the feed lists are easily configurable, so you can choose to limit or hide things like starred items or notes if you don't use those features. Other options include manual sync, portrait orientation locking and a few options to fine-tune the caching of stories. Overall, the app is well done and easy to use. Ironically, the only complaint I really have had with it is sync speed, which is one of the things that were said to be improved in the new version. It's not unreasonably slow, but still slower than I'd have liked. In all fairness, though, I'm pretty sure my less-than-stellar internet connection was a contributing factor. A few posts on the developer's twitter feed suggest that a few minor bugs are already known, and will be fixed in an upcoming update. Byline 3 is US$3.99 in the App Store, and is available now. Head on over and check it out! %Gallery-92705%
Byline, others offering anniversary sale prices on Saturday
Saturday! Saturday! Saturday! One day only! You may buy the whole app -- but you'll only need the edge. Sorry about that. Nevertheless, Byline -- Phantom Fish's flagship Google Reader app and offline browser -- is on sale Saturday only for $1.99. (It goes back to its regular price, $4.99, on July 12.) Not only that, but the first 40 people to forward their sale-price receipt to birthday@phantomfish.com will receive a promo code that entitles them to a free second copy of Byline for a friend. We've covered Byline before here at TUAW, and version 2.5 includes speed and caching improvements, a spiffy new dark interface, and matching new icon. In celebration of the App Store's anniversary, Sophiestication Software is also offering 75 percent discounts to their two apps: Groceries (a shopping list app) and Tipulator (a tip calculator) at 99 cents apiece. Both apps are available in the App Store. Edovia is also offering its six products (Rocket Taxi, Linguo, NumPad, Steps, Find Me!, and Currencies) for 99 cents apiece, down from $1.99. All these are also available in the App Store, as you might imagine. Have you found more sweet deals today? Let us know by leaving a comment!
iPhone app Feeds handily synchronizes with Google Reader
Google Reader is unarguably an extremely popular RSS news reader with a very good mobile interface for the iPhone. But as good as the mobile interface is, for me well done native applications will always beat an in-browser experience. A good iPhone app that synchronizes with Google Reader already exists by the name of Byline ($4.99, iTunes link), but a new one has just been released that is worth your attention.I used Byline for a few months before finally tiring of not having the ability to unsubscribe from feeds that I'd lost interest in. In fact, I switched to NetNewsWire (free, iTunes link) on the Newsgator platform for just that reason. But this new RSS reader has come along with not only the ability to synchronize with Google Reader, but also the ability to manage my Google Reader subscriptions right on my iPhone. This new (to me, anyway) app is called Feeds ($2.99, iTunes link).
Samsung R310 Byline launches on MetroPCS
MetroPCS phones aren't typically barn-burners, and despite the fancy name, the R310 Byline is no exception to the rule. The simple clamshell's claim to fame is likely its support for ChatLINK push-to-talk service, but otherwise, you get Bluetooth, speakerphone, and a 160 x 128 primary display matched with the glorious splendor of a 96 x 96 color screen on the outside. Sound good? Then pull out your hard-earned $99 and head down to the store, friend.
Win Byline or BlogPress in holiday giveaway
Phantom Fish and CoolLittleThings have teamed up to give away 42 copies of both Byline and BlogPress. If you buy one app, you win a chance to get the other for free. Three winners will be chosen every day beginning the 18th, and ending on the 31st. The promotion is available to anyone who purchases either Byline or BlogPress between today and the end of the year. Depending on which app you buy, you must email a copy of your iTunes receipt to the app's publisher to be entered into the contest. Full details and instructions are available on both the Phantom Fish and CoolLittleThings websites. Byline is a Google Reader client and offline browser for the iPhone, which I reviewed in October. It's available for $4.99 in the App Store. BlogPress is an easy-to-use WYSIWYG blog editor that supports all the maintream blogging platforms, including Blogger, WordPress and Movable Type. It's also available for $4.99 in the App Store.
TUAW Interview: Milo Bird of Phantom Fish
On Tuesday, Phantom Fish released an update to Byline, its Google Reader-slash-offline browser app for iPhone and iPod touch. Byline's developer, Milo Bird, has been hard at work since Byline 1.0 was released, making improvements to the app based on his users' feedback. Last week, Milo took some time out of his vacation to New York to sit down with us (virtually) and talk about Byline and the app development process. Does Google make it easy to develop an app that interfaces with Google Reader? Yes and no. The API for accessing Google Reader is straightforward and well-designed, so from a practical point of view it's quite pleasant to work with. However, it's not formally supported by Google, so there's no official documentation. The API has been around for years now and is in use by a large number of third-party apps, so there are several sources of unofficial documentation, but working out the nuances does involve fumbling around in the dark a bit.
Byline 2.0 update a huge improvement: adds tag support, mini browser
Phantom Fish yesterday updated Byline to version 2.0, adding functionality to browse by tag, and a spiffy new wood-grain interface. I briefly reviewed Byline 1.0 in July, but wanted to re-visit the application after the update. Byline 2.0 is a Google Reader client and offline browser for the iPhone and iPod touch. After having used beta versions for the last few weeks, I can say with certainty that this update takes Byline head and shoulders above the first version. Byline 2.0 is faster than both version 1.0 and Google Reader's MobileSafari-optimized interface. Articles are now grouped in folders according to tags you've already set up in Google Reader. You can mark whole folders of items as read, and save items to your phone by starring them. The app doesn't show a splash screen at startup, but instead a "blank" version of the interface, which gives the illusion that the app is hanging for a short period of time. As soon as the list of folders appears, however, loading items was zippy on my iPod touch (connected via WiFi, of course).
Byline: Google Reader for your pocket
As someone who manages whole metric scads of information in Google Reader, I was excited to see Byline, from Phantom Fish software, in the App Store. Byline, as you might expect, fetches all your subscriptions from Google Reader and displays them for you to read. It also keeps track of the items you've read and starred. The greatest thing, though, especially for iPod touch owners and subway riders is this: Starring or Noting an item saves it on your iPhone or iPod for offline reading. If you star an item either using your desktop browser, Mobile Safari, or Byline itself, it saves it for later. Noting an item is even better, because you can save pages that aren't even in your RSS subscriptions for offline reading with Byline. They mention you can do this very easily with a bookmarklet. Now -- I can hear you screaming: NetNewsWire does all this, and it's free! Without boring you with detail, it's worth ten bucks to me to keep my Google Reader workflow the way it is, rather than spending time changing the way I work. Agreed: it's probably too steep for people who aren't heavily invested in Google Reader already. Additionally on the downside, Byline doesn't allow you to browse by tag, instead opting to lump everything together in one list by date. Phantom Fish says this is for performance reasons, as people with many feeds would experience sluggish behavior. They're looking into it, though, and I personally hope they figure it out. Byline is $9.99, awesome, and available through the App Store.
