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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: 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.
NetNewsWire 4 enters open beta, gives Mac owners a new, local RSS reader option
As Google Reader's closing in on the end of its days, a spate of new RSS aggregators have popped up to replace it. Sure, web-based readers from AOL, Digg or Feedly could do the trick, but what if you want your RSS stored locally? You're in luck, because one of the elder statesmen in the RSS world, NetNewsWire, has what you need with its version 4 open beta. This new beta is a more refined version of NetNewsWire 4 Lite, which was released in 2011, and will allow folks to pull down all their GReader archives and store them locally for free while it's in beta. The catch? You've gotta be running Mac OS X 10.7.3 or later, and while the beta's free for now, the software will cost you once it's final -- $10 dollars for those who pre-order, and $20 after that.
A visual history of NetNewsWire
NetNewsWire is, as Second Gear's Justin Williams says, "the elder statesman of the Mac OS X platform." Brent Simmons' newsreader has appeared on countless "must-have" app lists, and it was one of the most treasured pieces of Mac software since even before anyone outside of Cupertino knew the iPhone was going to exist. On the third birthday of his app, Today, Williams takes a nice look at NetNewsWire, both how it has worked visually over the years, and how it has grown along with the platform and stayed relevant for so long. The app originally started as MacNewsWire -- there were only a few set Mac news feeds, and no Safari, WebKit or Core Data implementation (because those things, you know, didn't actually exist yet). Over the years, the app has both grown and become more tightly focused, aimed at both what users have requested and, of course, Simmons' own vision of what the app is supposed to be. We've talked with Simmons before about translating the app over to iOS, but this is an excellent look back at NetNewsWire's history, and it's a great guide for how to keep a Mac app strong and popular for a long time.
iOS RSS reader NewsRack out now in Mac App Store
NewsRack, the popular iOS RSS feed reader, is now available for Mac OS X (10.6.6 or later) in the Mac App Store. The new version from omz:software offers syncing with Google Reader, drag and drop feed arrangement, tabbed browsing and thumbnail previews, just as any good feed reader should. It has been available on iOS devices for a while now (US$4.99), but the Mac version is now ready for download from the Mac App Store for $6.99. There are numerous RSS feed readers already popular with OS X users that we have discussed here at TUAW, such as Reeder and NetNewsWire, and I myself am a Reeder fan on both my Mac and on my iPhone. Those of you still looking for that perfect reader might want to check out NewsRack, but I am not sure if I am willing to jump ship right now to a new app. However, it is always nice to have another solid option should I change my mind in the future. [via MacStories]
TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: 10 must-have apps for a new Mac
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. Once the gift-giving holidays arrive, the lucky among us will find new Macs among our haul. Part of the fun of owning a Mac is acquiring some goodies to go with it. In this post, we'll focus on software. Specifically, the 10 apps you'll absolutely want on your new machine. WIthout further delay, here's our list (all prices are USD). 1. Quicksilver (free) [The Quicksilver page appears to be down, here's an alternate. - Ed] This is absolutely, positively the first piece of software I install on every new Mac. In fact, I dislike using a Mac without it. Quicksilver is a utility which, at first, appears to be a launcher. That is the most popular way to use it. Assign a hotkey combination to elicit its minimal window (there are several designs to choose from), type the first few letters of your target app, hit return and presto! Your app launches. This also works with URLs, contact names and phone numbers...on and on. Plus, the more you use it, the smarter it becomes. Now I can just hit "Command-Space-T" to open TUAW, even if a browser isn't running. It's a huge time-saver. Of course, that's barely the beginning of what Quicksilver can do. A huge number of other apps offer Quicksilver support. For instance, you can upload files via FTP with Transmit, launch AppleScripts, move files, compose email messages and more, all with a few keystrokes that will get so finely sewn into your muscle memory that conscious thought will be removed from the process. Not a bad start; our first gift suggestion is supremely useful and free! Now, on to number two.
360iDev: Brent Simmons on NetNewsWire for iPad and iPhone OS 4.0
The iPhone is home to a lot of great new developers, but it's also the new home for a lot of old-school Mac guys as well; Brent Simmons is of the second kind. His NetNewsWire is a classic Mac app that's been remade for the iPhone, and now the iPad, with the clean, quick simplicity that Simmons' work is known for. We caught up with him right after his "Best Practices for Content Apps" talk here at 360iDev in San Jose, CA this week, and had a quick chat about how the iPad version of NetNewsWire is doing. Jenny Blumberg of NewsGator's developer support team also joined us. Simmons told us both how the iPad version of his app has made more money than you'd expect, and what he's most excited about from Apple's iPhone OS 4.0 announcement last week. Read on for more.
TapLynx media-based iPhone app builder from NewsGator released
The iPhone app platform TapLynx from NetNewsWire was released yesterday, after months of anticipation. TapLynx provides you with a way to build media-rich iPhone applications without having to write any code. It's basically NetNewsWire's way of leveraging their RSS expertise along with their iPhone development skills, in the form of Brent Simmons. Although TapLynx users don't need Cocoa knowledge, if you're a Cocoa developer you can use TapLynx to quickly add media management features to your app. In fact, NewsGator distributes TapLynx as a Software Development Kit, making its development roots fairly obvious. Beyond the ability to customize the user interface and choose the feeds you want your app to display, TapLynx offers the unique feature of being able to do remote updates to the app. This means that you can change a number of things in the app including the look-and-feel without requiring an update to be submitted to the frustratingly slow App Store. Brent Simmons, the developer behind TapLynx, is the guy behind the perennial Mac favorite RSS reader, NetNewsWire. What many people don't know is that before he did NetNewsWire he worked at UserLand, creating tools for developers. So in some ways this is Brent returning to his roots. [Update] As commenters have pointed out, the pricing for TapLynx is a little over the top: $3,499US for an Enterprise license, which is the only type of license they offer. That makes the news of TapLynx's release a little less interesting, in my opinion.
NetNewsWire starts syncing with Google Reader, NewsGator Online perishes
I have fervently wished for a desktop client to work with Google Reader for as long as Reader has been around. NewsGator finally answered my plea, announcing that NetNewsWire and the rest of the NewsGator RSS Reader Suite would be syncing solely with Google Reader after August 31, 2009. This signals an immediate move away from NewsGator Online, and the demise of the RSS feed syncing service. NetNewsWire was a favorite of mine well before it became free software, and I'm excited to start using it again. While I've had a lot of fun tweaking my Fluid/Google Reader SSB, I miss the solid companionship of a desktop newsreader. I had originally given them up when I wanted to sync my feed-reading with my iPhone, as I wasn't thrilled with NetNewsWire on the iPhone at the time and Google Reader was the only choice left for syncing. Byline and Google's own mobile page were both top-notch, but up until today there were zero Google Reader clients (barring AIR apps ... I have my reasons) available on the Mac, so it was Fluid/Reader on the desktop. While I have the warmest of warm spots in my heart for Fluid, I'm ecstatic to have NetNewsWire back! NetNewsWire is free, and a new beta with Google Reader sync is available for download. The updated NetNewsWire iPhone app is promised soon, but Byline will work for me right now. For current users of the NewsGator Online syncing service, detailed instructions for making the transition have been provided. You've got until August 31st to make the move and stay in sync. Lastly, if you haven't already picked a favorite stylesheet, don't miss Brockmann ... just another reason I've missed NNW! Thanks Stephen, Barkin and everyone who sent this in!
TapLynx - Create iPhone focused newsreader applications without programming
Users of NewsGator's NetNewsWire iPhone news reader have been waiting with bated breath for the next iteration of the application, with the promise of the ability to mark news items unread and send articles to InstaPaper Instapaper, amongst other enhancements. As time has gone on, it became clear that Brent Simmons was working on other projects that are related to (but most decidedly not) the next iteration of NetNewsWire for the iPhone. So what has been keeping him busy? As it turns out, NewsGator is rolling out an entire iPhone framework called TapLynx, which will allow its users to create content-rich topic-focused newsreader applications. The first such application, the All Things Digital iPhone app, was created by Simmons himself. The goal of TapLynx is to offer users a framework that allows them to simply choose some images, set URLs for content feeds, and generate a media application for the iPhone without requiring any programming. TapLynx is currently not even yet in beta, but you can sign up to get an alpha invitation on the TapLynx site. By the way, for the NetNewsWire iPhone fans out there, it turns out that the next iteration of the app will be based on TapLynx, so even though it doesn't seem like there has been much recent movement, things are still progressing. We may even see the ability for NetNewsWire (both the Mac and iPhone versions) to synchronize with Google Reader accounts.
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).
NewsGator releases iPhone app/feed stats
NetNewsWire was one of the first native applications on the iPhone to read RSS feeds. Today, NewsGator released some astounding statistics about their application and users. One of the announcements was that NNW on the iPhone has over 200,000 users. Some of the other interesting stats they're talking about are: 115,000 users have signed up for the iPhone version in the past 30-days Average NNW for iPhone users subscribe to 26 feeds (I subscribe to over 115 -- just sayin') One NNW for iPhone user subscribes to over 2,800 feeds (and how does this person read all of the newsies coming over the wire?) NetNewsWire is a free application for the iPhone that can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store (iTunes link). You can celebrate with the NewsGator folks on their blog. Be sure to take part in our poll to find out how many RSS feeds you subscribe to. %Poll-20095%
Developers discuss future plans
Two popular Mac developers have taken the time to blog the future of their applications. First, Marco Arment has written about his plans for Instapaper for iPhone and iPod touch. If you haven't tried Instapaper yet, you're missing out. Basically, the desktop version is simply a web bookmarklet that lets you collect weblinks on a single page.Have you found an article you'd like to read when you have some free time? Click the bookmarklet and it's added to your Instapaper page.The iPod touch/iPhone version syncs with your links collection so you've got them on-the-go. It works wonderfully, and there's both a free version [link] and paid pro version [link] in the App Store.In his blog post, Marco writes "...I compiled a feature list for what I want in Instapaper.app 2.0, and it's huge. It's easily 6 months of work ... But if I can pull off the product I want for 2.0, I'll really have something amazing."Meahwhile, Brent Simmons has written about NetNewsWire, the popuar RSS reader. All four of them. "I'm working on four apps. But they're all NetNewsWire," he says. Specifically, version 1.0.9 is almost ready for the App Store [here's the current version] while 3.1.7 is under development for the Mac. At the same time, Brent is working on versions 3.2 and 4.0 for future release.Good luck, guys! We appreciate the dedication and love your applications. Keep up the good work.
My favorite iPhone apps: Jason's picks
Picking my favorite iPhone apps was pretty straightforward. I went with three apps that save me time. The first one wows me because using it sort of feels like magic, and the other two are great mobile companion applications to wonderful Mac-based programs. Shazam [iTunes link] FreeWhen I say using Shazam feels like magic, I'm not kidding. Shazam can listen to any music that is playing using the iPhone's microphone, and based on an acoustic fingerprint of the music can tell you the name of the song, artist, and album. It takes only seconds to listen, then a few more to look up the song and return results. Conveniently, Shazam maintains a list of songs that you've looked up (tagged, in Shazam's parlance) so that you can easily go back and follow up on the songs later. It also includes links to purchase the songs you've tagged from iTunes, as well as links to music videos for tagged songs if they exist on YouTube. OmniFocus [iTunes link] $19.00 I have a particular preference for software that is available in desktop versions as well as mobile versions, particularly if they contain a solid synchronization function. While it can be somewhat of an acquired taste, OmniFocus on the Mac is arguably one of the most capable to-do list applications, particularly if you subscribe to the GTD methodology. Imagine my delight, then, when OmniGroup announced there would be an iPhone version of OmniFocus that synchronizes to the desktop version. What's even better is that the iPhone version isn't simply a clone of the desktop version, but includes iPhone-specific functionality such as being able to determine what context to display based on your physical location using GPS. As with all software that relies on remote synchronization, it can be a bit slow when starting up, but that's a hit you take to have the convenience of synchronization, it seems.Evernote [iTunes link] Free Evernote has been around for a long time as a capable Windows-based note taking product, but if ever there was an interesting story of a company re-inventing their product, this is it. Evernote in its modern capacity is a note-taking powerhouse, available on Mac, Windows, on the web, and on the mobile web. But even better, it also has an iPhone version. The beauty of Evernote is in its ability to capture various types of information easily, then make it searchable and easy to reference. Everything you store in Evernote is stored in an account for you on Evernote's servers, allowing them to apply advanced optical character recognition to your images and documents to make even non-text documents searchable. Like OmniFocus, Evernote can be a bit slow to start, and it's disappointing that Evernote's content is not stored locally on the iPhone, but is pulled down from their servers every time you access it. But for its ability to allow you to off-load important information to a secondary brain, Evernote is invaluable. Honorable Mention Given my attachment to synchronization apps, how can I not give a nod towards the iPhone version of NetNewsWire, which complements the entire stable of free NewsGator RSS clients, including NetNewsWire on the Mac. NNW would have made this write-up, had Steve not grabbed it first. But who can blame him?
Favorite iPhone apps: Steve's take
Well, Victor took away part of my thunder with his pick of Texas Hold 'Em, but I have three other frequently-used iPhone apps in mind. Twitterrific is my first choice. I love Twitter and formerly used the awe-inspiring Hahlo web app on my iPhone, but there's no native Hahlo app...yet. So for the time being, Twitterrific is what I use to blast my tweets out to the world. If native Hahlo ever appears, Twitterrific gets nixed immediately. So much for loyalty, eh?My second fave is DataCase. Yeah, I've tried a bunch of the others, but DataCase is still (in my opinion) the best little app for shooting files to my iPhone and then sucking them down to another Mac. I've even had it work with Windows. The interface is not my favorite, but I can put up with a lot for functionality.Número tres is NetNewsWire. This is the iPhone companion to NewsGator (Mac) and Feed Demon (Windows). Although NetNewsWire received low reviews in the iTunes App Store, I've found it to be very useful for my RSS needs and have no complaints. And the price is right - FREE!App Store Links --Twitterrific (free, US$9.99 for an ad-free version)DataCase (US$6.99)NetNewsWire (free)
First Look: NetNewsWire for iPhone
Probably the single most used application on my Mac is NetNewsWire, and so I've been really looking forward to on the iPhone optimized version. It has now appeared and on first glance it appears that developer Brent Simmons has built yet another class leading RSS reader.Like the desktop version NetNewsWire for iPhone (iTunes link) syncs with the Newsgator servers for your subscription list, clippings, and read/unread status. And like the desktop version it's free. However, if you're like me you're not going to want your entire feed list on your iPhone. Fortunately, there is a way to use a desktop browser interface on Newsgator.com to select only a subset of your feeds to appear on your iPhone. Brent explains how to set this up at his site.Check out this gallery for a a quick tour of this great mobile version of NetNewsWire.%Gallery-27342%
Status Screen Saver 1.0
Are you so addicted to RSS, Mail, and Twitterrific that you just can't stand when your screen saver launches? Status Screen Saver might just be the screen saver for you. The awesome thing about this screen saver is that is displays your current unread Mail count, unread NetNewsWire feeds, and even unread tweets from Twitterrific. You can select a screen saver that you have installed in the Status Screen Saver options.Even better, Status Screen Saver allows you to (with some AppleScripting) create your own "modules" which opens up unlimited possibilities to what can be shown in Status Screen Saver. So, if you use something other than the supported applications, you can (if the application is scriptable) make an AppleScript to give a number, then place it in the Screen Saver.saver/Contents/Resources/ directory. Overall, this is a really cool screen saver which can be expanded upon by the user. You can download this free (donations accepted) screen saver by visiting the developer's website.
NetNewsWire 3.1.2 is out
Here at TUAW, we rather like Brent Simmons' excellent (and now free) news-reader NetNewsWire. Not only does it make a lot of our lives easier by managing our feeds, but the syncing with NewsGator's other online and Windows desktop clients mean that we're (sadly) never far away from the news. If you too are a fan of NNW, then you'll probably want to know about the release of NetNewsWire 3.1.2, fixing (amongst other things): 'I-see-nothing' bug which displayed an empty window for some users Entity decoding in <link>s much more aggressive removal of read items from their folders a few syncing bugs One other addition is the First-run Assistant, which will likely be seen by "[NetNewsWire] Lite users and people returning to NetNewsWire from a several-year absence." Simmons has discussed the particulars of this assistant on his own blog, and it's a fascinating read for those interested in the nuances of interface design. The update weighs in at just 5.6MB, and is available from the NewsGator site.
NetNewsWire vs. Vienna
var digg_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2008/01/10/netnewswire-vs-vienna/'; RSS (or Really Simple Syndication) is becoming an ever more popular way to read online content quickly and without having to visit individual websites. As RSS feeds becomes more popular, so do the RSS readers that allow you to access the feeds. In my opinion, the two best RSS readers on the Mac are NetNewsWire and Vienna. Now that NetNewsWire costs the same as Vienna (i.e. nothing), what better time to take a look at what each has to offer?
Newsgator turns NetNewsWire free for everyone
Wow. I don't know who hadn't bought NetNewsWire yet, but if you haven't, consider your wait vindicated: most of Newsgator's products, including NNW, Newsgator Online, and FeedDemon (the Windows version of the popular RSS reader) have all gone free with version 3.1.Brent Simmons, NNW's creator, is reportedly happy about the change, to say the least, and Newsgator isn't any less thrilled themselves-- they say that not only are they excited to spread the love around to everyone, but that they'll also be using "attention data" collected from the software (which hopefully sounds more ominous than it is... right?) to "deliver a better experience for everyone." Not so happy might be the folks who've paid for the products in the past-- Newsgator is offering an automatic refund to anyone who purchased them in the past 30 days, but anyone before that just has to live with the fact that they paid $30 to use the software at the time (not that it was a bad deal back then anyway). Those who subscribed to the Newsgator Online service will run out their current subscriptions, and then continue on without charge.Version 3.1 of NetNewsWire features an updated interface with new toolbar icons, some performance and memory enhancements, and the ability to archive news items as HTML files, viewable in any browser. It is now available, for a completely free download, over on Newsgator's site.
