If you haven’t been living under a rock, you have probably heard recently that Google Reader is shutting down. And if you’re anything like our blogger, you’re a heavy user of Google Reader, and in search of alternatives.
You’re in luck though. Every single website on the Internet is telling you about the top alternatives. Every. Single. One.
They generally look like this one by Lifehacker, who have probably published another dozen articles almost exactly like this since Google’s announcement, and will probably publish a dozen more before Google shuts down Reader on July 1st.
Here at the Big Bad Blog, we aren’t going to make a list. But we do need to find ourselves a new RSS reader. It has to sync between machines. And it has to have an app that handles offline reading.
That’s it. Nothing too fancy.
So we’re combing through all these recommendations, and actually trying them out. After a few days, each one will get its own post here on the Big Bad Blog, and we’ll see how it compares against the frontrunner. Once we have a potential replacement.
First up …
Feedly
Feedly seems to appear on every list that’s out there. And no wonder – it’s pretty sweet.
- It syncs a single account across all your devices.
- It’s pretty.
- You can import your Google Reader feeds with a single click.
- It’s pretty.
- They have a no-effort solution for handling the closure of Google Reader.
- Have we mentioned that it’s pretty?
The Android app is also quite nice — one of the best RSS reader apps I’ve used. It’s not just gorgeous, but intuitive, and looks like it has plenty of additional options to help organise your feeds.
But.
Before I got to configuring these, I got on the tube to come home this afternoon, and this popped up:
Seriously, feedly? No offline support?
I checked the available settings. Nothing.
No offline support is simply a dealbreaker. The internet is not available on the London Underground. Nor is it available on airplanes. And while it’s available in foreign countries, it’s really damn expensive through a phone.
Offline support, Feedly. Offline support.
What’s next?
The Old Reader was going to be next, as I had seen various recommendations, but not only does their mobile app not include offline support – it does not even exist.
So tomorrow will be Newsblur.
Newsblur charge a subscription fee, so will have to knock the socks off the competition, but all these services are certain to be experiencing scaling issues from the influx of people seeking an alternative to Google — a combination of deterrent (ie, cost) and cash influx from new users is certain to help that.
So I have high hopes, Newsblur. Don’t disappoint. I need a frontrunner.
