Online feed reader comparision
 Syndication is a the heartbeat of the web 2.0 movement and a feed reader, the most common solution to consuming syndicated content. I have (mis)used Netvibes for this purpose until now. I'm subscribing approximately 50 feeds which exceed what Netvibes should be used for. I wanted furthermore to have an online feed reader with some more options then just scanning the last 8 posts from a given feed but must admit that Netvibes acts very speedy which is an important criteria for me too.I looked for online feed readers on my favorite search engine and the only useful output that I got was a comparison from TechCrunch. This post is focused solely on web-based feed readers and includes the big guys plus some up and coming readers: Attensa Online, Bloglines, FeedLounge, Google Reader, Gritwire, News Alloy, NewsGator Online, Pluck Web Edition & Rojo. All the web-based feed readers reviewed by TechCrunch are free except for FeedLounge, which charges $5 per month and I checked them all. Gritwire (the only Flash based application) was the first one out of scope, because it did not work at all and the company seems to have other intentions. NewsGator, Pluck and Rojo went of my list very fast because they did not meet my needs at all. Unfortunately I was discontent with all featured products. The update speed of all except FeedLounge & Google Reader was quite slow but anyway, I took also Bloglines, Attensa & News Alloy into my consideration. Attensa failed to load stories for more then one day, so that one was skipped fast. The Google Reader was very fast (the no. 1) but the interface is absolutely useless for me. I stayed a while with Bloglines and News Alloy but found the design in combination with the slow feed-load times made them losers to. Which kept Feedlounge as the only satisfying solution? But FeedLounge had one disadvantage: I could take a test-drive on a test system but I could not check the real thing. You have to signup and pay at last $ 5 for the first month and it stated "No Refunds" in bold letters. Yes, I have the money, but I don’t like that attitude and I don’t want to pay for my online feed reader. The TechCrunch comparison is from March 2006.  I went on to a search for more online feed readers and found that a French newcomer "FeedShow" was launched March 2006 gave it a try and voilá: This one is very speedy (as speedy as Netvibes and even faster than the Google Reader) it has useful features, a good and adjustable design and some nice goodies on top. (Ok - I miss a "unread items aggregated feed" but I’m sure to get that in a near future ;-) and I think that they have to revise their business model - t hey will also need a revenue as time goes by.)Conclusion: FeedShow is my recommendation if you need an online feed reader. |
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