ReadNow - Desktop client for Instapaper and Read It Later

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

I use Instapaper and Read It Later, so a few days ago I thought it would be nice to get a desktop client for reading saved materials, and after a short search in the Mac App Store I came across ReadNow, which I want to talk about.

Instapaper, Read It Later (and their analogs) allow you to save links to interesting, but long web materials, which you can return to reading a little later, when there is a desire or free time. However, I do not always have access to the network, which is why I wanted to get a desktop application.

Most of the solutions found boiled down to installing Fluid and working with the same sites, except that they were open in a separate window. Therefore, I was terribly happy when I found ReadNow. Exactly a week ago, the application was significantly updated and received all the functions I needed.

The developer ReadNow did not reinvent the wheel and took a rather popular approach to user interface that can be found in, say, Reeder for Mac. The window header contains buttons for the most used functions, and it itself is divided into 3 parts:

The sidebar contains categories and tags (depending on which service you use).
A little to the right is a list of articles for each category with a site icon, save date and a couple of lines of description.
And most of the window is reserved for the content of the selected article.

From a visual point of view, everything is done quite cleanly and neatly. Also, ReadNow supports offline reading and simultaneous work with one Instapaper account and one Read It Later.

But to be honest, I was surprised at the "wealth" of options. The user can set up social integration, choose how the application will sync and display articles, respond to hotkeys and Magic Mouse / Magic Trackpad multi-touch gestures.

True, as usual, there is a fly in the ointment in the ointment (not through the developer's fault): full-fledged work with Instapaper is only possible with a paid subscription, otherwise third-party clients will not be able to access all the APIs of the service. But the free Read It Later account is fully supported.