IPad apps: Reeder - Google Reader just got better

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

I am sure that many people read blogs / news using RSS aggregators (including MacRadar:)), one of the most popular among such aggregators is Google Reader, but its convenience often raises questions. These are the questions Reeder for iPad is designed to address.

Reeder has long won the hearts and minds of iPhone owners, and the release of the iPad version was only a matter of time, and finally that time has come. The application immediately burst into the TOP of paid programs in the App Store and now it confidently takes first place there with a rating of ★★★★★.

To work with Reeder, you need a Google Reader account, and the application will ask for it during the first launch. After entering the account data, the program will immediately start synchronizing and, if you entered everything correctly, the subscriptions from the aggregator, as well as entries recommended by your friends, will appear on the screen. Each stack (stacks are folders with which subscriptions are organized in your Google Reader account, if you created such folders, of course) its name and the number of unread entries are indicated. There are three options for displaying the home screen:

- only folders with unread entries;

- only entries marked with an asterisk (favorites);

- all folders.

The first option is selected by default.

Outwardly, it is somewhat reminiscent of an iPad photo gallery, and it can work in the same way: you push a stack of two fingers apart and see what's inside. And inside is a list of subscriptions contained in this folder. Some of the subscriptions are displayed with a large icon, such as Engadget.

If you just click on any of the folders on the main screen, then we will go to the list of entries, which in portrait orientation looks like this:

By default, records are sorted by chronology, but using a special switch, they can be sorted by source.

It is possible to mark at once all the submitted records as read, for this you need to click the "checkmark" at the bottom left.

If you flip the iPad to a horizontal position, then the selected entry will also be added to the right.

But it is much more convenient to use the application vertically, so nothing distracts from reading, and the entire screen serves this noble occupation. As with the home screen, there are the same three display options (unread, favorites, and that's it).

By clicking on any entry, you will quite predictably open it.

It is in reading and working with records that the main advantage of Reeder lies, it is difficult to think of how this process could be organized even more conveniently. So, for example, to return to the list of records, you can, of course, click on the "back" arrow in the upper left corner, or you can simply swipe to the right, like this:

If you wanted to go back, you swiped your finger to the left, starting from the right edge of the screen. It looks like the transition between the records is organized - swipe up and the next one opens, down - the previous one, while an arrow appears indicating where you are going (up or down). You can also navigate using the arrows on the left.

While reading the entry, you can add it to your favorites or share it with others, both the built-in Google Reader "Share", and in many other ways, such as Twitter or Delicious. It's nice that you can send both the entire article and a link to it by mail.

The number of services that will be displayed here can be changed in the program settings (available through the system settings), so if you do not have an account in Delicious, then it will not be an eyesore.

If you wish, you can open the entry in the browser built into the application, which is convenient because you do not have to go to Safari to read those subscriptions that do not give the entire article, but only the title.

Let's go back to the list of entries, it also contains interesting things. For example, swiping from left to right on an entry will mark it as read if one was unread, or vice versa. And if you swipe from right to left, you can add the entry to your favorites (or remove it from there, if it has already been marked).

Reeder settings are quite extensive, you can choose for what period to display different types of posts, enter information about your accounts in social networks, to make it easier to share information about interesting articles, how to sort and how to open posts, you can immediately change your Google Reader account information …

Immediately in the settings, you can enable the display of the number of unread records on the application icon, for this you need to enable the "Show Unread Badge" function. By doing this, you can see how many entries are left to read without opening the app.

But in fairness, it should be noted that this number will show the number of entries that remained unread after the last opening of the application, in the background it does not know how to update yet, perhaps in the fall, with the release of iOS 4 for iPad and the arrival of multitasking, such functionality will appear.

I really liked the Reeder app for iPad, it works quickly, without interruptions, very convenient and thoughtful. Until I found something to complain about. It becomes especially convenient if you also have a news reader on your computer that synchronizes with Google Reader, in this case, news read once on any device will be marked as read everywhere.

Reeder for iPad is $ 4.99 [iTunes link] and is worth each of that 499 cents!