What’s a Good Google Reader Alternative for Android?
March 16th, 2013Several months ago, I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note II to deal with customer service issues related to a business that my wife and I run. Yes, knowing everything I know about these devices, I use one anyway.
People in New Zealand aren’t accustomed to good customer service. I’ve found that when I reply to questions very fast, people are more likely to order. It’s not rocket science, but most businesses in New Zealand don’t understand this. Anyway, so, yes, I sometimes use an Android personal bugging device.
I started out with just emails from that business on the device. Then I added my email account at my mother in law’s business. Then Cryptogon emails…
Ok, besides responding to customers, here’s what I do with the Galaxy Note II:
In Google Reader, I could look through my feeds and “star” all of the stories that I wanted to read later. Then, when I was on my real computer, I could pull up Google Reader and see all of the stories that I starred on my phone. From phone to web interface, The Vengeful Google Skynet syncs the stories I select in the background.
I think most of the Android feed readers offer a feature like this, but what I liked about Google Reader is that it was the simplest one I could find. It’s just bare bones, no distractions. I don’t want side scrolling picture collages and all of this TwitFace sharing whizbangery I’m seeing on some of these apps. I just want to read a wall headlines and be able to select some stories on the phone to appear as a list in my browser later on.
I’d gladly pay for an app that does this without advertising.
Any ideas?
There are so many Android feedreaders. I’m hoping that one of you can suggest something so I don’t have to play app roulette to find something good.
Via: NPR:
Google’s announcement this week that it will kill its Reader product on July 1 prompted moans of despair from those who rely on the free RSS service to monitor headlines. To illustrate the level of dependency they’ve come to feel, some are comparing the move to Google abandoning search.
The complaints are still rolling in — as of Friday afternoon, a petition at Change.org had gathered more than 100,000 signatures, protesting the move Google announced on its blog Wednesday. Google says that while the service it began in 2005 “has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined.”
That decline has been attributed to people relying on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook both to stay current on headlines, and to stay connected with a community of people they’re interested in — two strengths that helped Google Reader’s fast initial growth.
Many observers see the move to retire Reader as Google prodding its users to engage more fully with Google+, the social network. Some folks will likely do that — but many people are also looking for new RSS readers, and they’re comparing notes about possible contenders.
In the discussions, a consensus of criteria emerged, calling for a simple and reliable RSS reader that serves up headlines, stories and news digests in an efficient design, without advertising. And it should work well in both browsers and smartphones’ operating systems.
At the website Replace Reader, which uses tweets to tally votes for Google replacements, the Feedly service was in the lead, with NewsBlur in second place.
Not far behind was The Old Reader, which is reportedly based on an older design of Google Reader. Or you can go in the other direction, visually at least, and try out Netvibes, which has a glossy, customizable look. In a similar vein, there’s Flipboard, but the smooth design of that service is only available on smartphones and tablets.
Similarly, Taptu offers a sharp, clean user experience, and it offers versions for Nook and Blackberry users, as well. In the future, another option might come from Digg; the link-sharing community says it’s building its own reader service.
Feedly is a solid. Some of the whiz-bangery, but easy enough to set, forget, and get straight into the headlines. Used it with Android devices since 2010, and it’s been fantastic throughout.
http://www.feedly.com/home#welcome
Was built to plug into Google Reader, but apparently they’re ready for this scenario.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/13/feedly-rss-service-promises-seamless-transition-after-google-r/
Ok, thanks. Feedly definitely comes up a lot. I’ll try it.