Description

It took some time, for Google to publish their RSS Reader App, alot of people expected it to be released much earlier with it arriving onto the Android Market December 2010. Before its late release plenty of other RSS readers built a solid following, but this is Google Reader which is so popular on the PC. But have Google left it too late to release Google Reader onto the Android Market? Or is it worthy of a place in the upper tiers of the RSS readers on the Android Market.

Functions & Design

Upon starting up the application the user will have to login into their Google account ( you can also specify multiple Google accounts) and then from their the app will synchronize with the online version of the users Google Reader (if they have one of course). Note: When comparing the sychronization to most other RSS readers, it is relatively faster.

Once the sychronization is complete the user will have easy access to all of their RSS feeds, with folders located along the side(sorting can be changed manually) from the different feeds the user has signed up for. In addition, in the overview lies direct access to stored items and items shared to you by freinds. There is also an Explore feature that has a list of recommended interesting articles from across the web.

The optics can not be changed, at least so far. The app uses black text on a white background. Via the settings menu, new RSS feeds can be added to his or her list. The user can also either enter a keyword in the search and search for suitable feeds or they can of course just enter in a URL for a particular feed. A categorized RSS feed directory is also available. Users can also subscribe to a friends news, through the “Social” tab and by speciying the name of the corresponding service (eg Blogspot, Flickr, Twitter, WordPress, and MySpace).

What the Android Google Reader App is still missing though is the option is to save complete articles or a light version of the site, to be able to read offline later.

Conclusion

Upon its long awaited debut to the Android Market, it is considered by some as one of the more powerful RSS Readers on the Market. If nothing else most consider it to be the fastest RSS Reader on the Market. However the Google Reader still has some weaknesses especially in the area of Offline Reading. Most people expect Google to bring such a feature in a future update of the App, but until then this App is still standing in the shadow of some other more developed RSS Readers on the Market. But in saying that it is still a quality RSS Reader App and is available to download for free from the Android Market. Tested Google Reader version 0.8.0.