NewsGator just launched a new beta version of their online feed reader that is sporting some nifty AJAX and JavaScript goodness. Personally I prefer to use desktop feed reader applications because they offer more configurability and settings, but NewsGator now has a slim layout that is sure to please a lot of people.
You’ll quickly notice the AJAX jumping into play when you begin switching between your feeds. It operates a lot smoother now and reminds me more of Google Reader. There isn’t as much AJAX going on as I initially thought because the expanding and contracting headings only utilize simple JavaScript to hide the text from sight. Google Reader actually uses AJAX to retrieve the article’s content each time you click to expand an article when in the List View. Why does this matter? It doesn’t make that much of a difference to people who are on fast Internet connections, but Google’s feed reader will load up a little faster. This is because NewsGator immediately loads all of the content even if you never expand it, therefore creating more information for you to download when you view the page.
I think that the online client looks pretty nice, but it isn’t something that I would really use. Their online service is still important because they have a downloadable feed reader application for both Mac (NetNewsWire) and PC’s (FeedDemon). Neither of those applications are free, but they are some of the best software feed readers currently available on the market…and they are setup to synchronize with the NewsGator service.
Right now Google Reader is my preferred feed reader when I’m away from my personal computer, but they too have some things that could be fixed. A few weeks back I remember reading an article by Curtiss discussing the five things that Google still needs to fix/implement in Google Reader so that it is more usable. The one thing that I agree with the most is the need for a notification program so that I know when Google has found some new posts for my subscriptions. Even Bloglines has a notifier available so I think Google Reader needs this as well.
Let us know in the comments below what you use to keep track of your feeds, whether it be an application or an online service.
Source: Micro Persuasion
Funny, I just today blogged on an introduction to RSS. I recently asked someone if they RSS my blog, and they replied “what’s RSS?”.. AHH! So i had to do an intro. I used Google as an example, but I am not too fond of the interface. I’m going to try out NewsGator. I have been using for a year now, NetNewsWire Lite (mac), and I love it. However there is no easy way to match up my work software and my home software.. I suppose I could make a list, but I’m just too lazy to. I figured tho, when I’m away, or on another computer, I can just log in to a browser based and be able to read my feeds and blog my findings! Hey, i have you guys on my feeds.. keep up the good work.
Just wanted to point out, since you mentioned desktop notifications, that we (NewsGator) also launched a beta of NewsGator Desktop which will notify you of new posts AND let you read them, clip them, forward them, right from the notification… which will all be synchronized back to NewsGator Online (and FeedDemon and NetNewsWire).
You can see more details here: [blogs.newsgator.com]
And btw, thanks for the NewsGator mention!
If you’re not fond of Google then I’m sure that you’ll find NewsGator to be the perfect solution. They aren’t exactly opposites but I find that people who dislike Google’s interface find NewsGator’s really pleasant. It’s simpler and doesn’t look so “busy” compared to Google’s…but I like packing everything in.
That is an awesome addition Nick, but why isn’t a notifier like that included in FeedDemon. I would highly prefer that one over the one FeedDemon has.
I’ll pass that on to Nick Bradbury
Thanks for letting us know about the beta. I’ve started using the beta this morning so I’ll see how it performs. It’s only a beta so I won’t be too harsh on it right now but it looks promising.
Newsgator has always been my favorite web based reader. I like the simple clean layout. Some other readers like Rojo and Google Reader I find too cluttered, but that’s just my personal view
Google Reader is definitely coming along nicely, it’s made big improvements over the last 6 months or so, but it still doesn’t quite do enough to encourage me to switch away from Newsgator.
I’ve been using FeedDemon, so haven’t bothered with the online reader.
I am happy with the syncing option, because when I reformatted lastime I received my feeds just as it was, including the unread ones.