Skip to main content

Goodbye, Google Reader. Here are 5 alternatives



On Monday, fans of Google's popular Reader application will bid farewell.
Google shuts down Reader on July 1, citing a drop in usage and a shift toward a smaller selection of Google services.
If you're a Google Reader user, now's the time to export your subscriptions. Users can do this by going to Settings, Import/Export and follow the steps to export your subscriptions through Google Takeout, which will download to a computer in a ZIP folder. Most RSS readers will let you import subscriptions (saved as an XML file) easily.
Feedly is a replacement for Google Reader, a tool for bringing headlines and articles from your favorite websites into a single place.

Since Google announced Reader's demise in March, several other options have emerged to potentially fulfill your RSS needs. Here are five alternatives to consider.
Feedly. As of right now, this is the best option in a Google Reader free world. It's flexible, so users can opt for the traditional Google Reader list appearance, or go for a more dynamic magazine view. Feedly also offers the best selection of sharing options, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Pocket, Instapaper and Evernote. Users can click a Save For Later bookmark as well for reading directly on the app. The service works great as a browser extension on Chrome, Firefox or Safari (and standalone Web client), and features a native app for Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
The Old Reader. For those users seeking just the basics, The Old Reader is a strong choice. Designed to look very similar to Google Reader, The Old Reader is simple and easy to use. Importing and adding feeds is easy, but it seems sharing is limited to the service. So, it's tough to directly share to social networks. But for users who want feeds on the go, Old Reader will work with the iOS app Feeddler.
Flipboard. The mobile app for iOS and Android opts for a more visual approach to story syndication, presenting feeds in a magazine-style format. Along with RSS feeds, users can add updates from social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, "flipping" pages with simple swipes on the touchscreen. Simiilar to notetaking app Evernote, Flipboard allows users to clip content from the Web to display in a digital magazine for their mobile devices. The big drawback to Flipboard is users can't read their feeds on a desktop or laptop. It's for smartphones and tablets only.
AOL Reader. One of two new entrants into the RSS reader market, AOL Reader has promise. Several views are available, from a traditional list to a pane view similar to the Microsoft Outlook email client. Users can share stories to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn, as well as star items for later reading. However, I couldn't find any options for saving to offline services such as Pocket. Also, feeds didn't seem to update as quickly as other options, but that should improve over time. A native Android and iOS app is coming soon, the reader still functions nicely on a mobile browser. Among other options AOL plans to add soon: Search, Notifications and sharing with other AOL Reader users.
Digg Reader. It's only 24 hours old, but the newest RSS reader from Digg is a clean, simple choice. Sharing is limited to Twitter and Facebook, but users can set up connections to Pocket, Instapaper or Readability to view content later. Users can "Digg" stories, which bolsters a cool Popular section that breaks down the most popular stories appearing on your RSS. There are some important functions missing, such as "Mark as Unread" and "View Unread Items Only" options, but Digg says they plan to add those features quickly.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sixth Sense Device - Surfaceless computing

    'SixthSense' is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. We've evolved over millions of years to sense the world around us. When we encounter something, someone or some place, we use our five natural senses to perceive information about it; that information helps us make decisions and chose the right actions to take. But arguably the most useful information that can help us make the right decision is not naturally perceivable with our five senses, namely the data, information and knowledge that mankind has accumulated about everything and which is increasingly all available online. Although the miniaturization of computing devices allows us to carry computers in our pockets, keeping us continually connected to the digital world, there is no link between our digital devices and our interactions with the physical world. In

Physics behind the Arc Reactor

It started with me ranting about how I should understand the physics of arc reactor more and then  Sera  needs some babel speak ideas for her Tony. I know this has been discussed deeply by most iron man fanatics before, but this is the simplified version for people who can’t be bothered to understand the big science-y words. I’m not saying that this is accurate because I’m not a nuclear engineer either, and I hope I can get some feedbacks from people who actually understand this. Since vibranium is not actually a real element, I’m focusing on the old arc reactor tech that runs on palladium. Let’s do a bit revision on fusion, yes? During nuclear fusion, light atoms combine to form heavier elements; in the process, a small fraction of mass is converted into lots of energy. Fusion reactions are called thermonuclear reactions because high temperatures are required to overcome the coloumbic repulsion between the nuclei being fused, i.e., “thermo” for the heat required and “nuc

Rovio unveils sequel to 'Angry Birds Star Wars'

Mobile games giant Rovio continues its descent toward the Dark Side. The company announced it will launch  Angry Birds Star Wars II , the follow-up to the popular  Angry Birds Star Wars  title. It will be available September 19 through multiple app stores. The collaboration with Star Wars has been a huge success for Rovio. The first  Angry Birds Star Wars  game notched over 100 million downloads since launching last year. Characters from the second trilogy of  Star Wars  films will appear in  Angry Birds Star Wars II , including Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and Darth Maul. The game also introduces Telepods, physical toys players place near the smartphone or tablet to teleport them into a game, a function similar to games such as Activision's Skylanders  franchise and the upcoming  Disney Infinity . Over 30 toys will be available when the game launches. news source