RSS Reader App for the iPad

It’s been an ongoing search for the perfect RSS Reader App for my iPad. I’ve tried several including: Reeder, Flipbook, Pulse, and Google Reader through the Google app.

Features that I look for in a Reader

• sync with Google Reader
• tag articles in Diigo
• tag articles in Evernote
• email articles
• view articles in condensed form (title only) for scanning, or in long form (complete article)
• automatically mark items as read while scrolling
• option to mark a folder of feeds read, even if I haven’t scrolled through them
• access article through web browser
• maintain folder structure I’ve used in Google Reader to organize and prioritize my feeds
• manage subscriptions: add, delete
• manage folders: add, delete, arrange
• hide read items

Mr. Reader is very close to being my perfect iPad Reader App. It meets all the criteria above. I like that I can select a folder of feeds to scroll through, scanning titles and choosing which ones to open and read in depth. In my Tech folder I have placed subscriptions to general tech sites, not educational tech. I read just a few of these articles in depth. In Mr. Reader I can process this folder more quickly than I can on my computer using Google Reader because it marks the articles read that I have scrolled past while skimming titles and start of the article, (this is a setting in preferences).

For my Edtech folder I tap the first article to open it RSS view. I use the next arrows in RSS view to jump to the next article. If the RSS view shows just a portion of the article, I can tap Web at the top to view the full article on the website.

I also have the option of viewing the feeds in a folder and selecting a particular feed to read. If I’m behind on my reading this lets my prioritize the sites I really need to check and mark all the others read with one click.

Sharing and Saving

It provides access to variety of services for saving and sharing articles. You can choose which ones to display and in what order.

• Open with Safari, Atomic Web, Grazing, iCab Mobile, Mercury
• Post to Twitter (multiple accounts supported)
• Post to Facebook
• Save to Delicious, Pinboard, Zootool, Diigo
• Send to Instapaper, Read It Later, Readability
• Send articles to your Kindle by using Tinderizer, SENDtoREADER
• Create task/note in OmniFocus, Things, Evernote
• Post to Tumblr, Posterous (multiple blogs supported)
• Send to “Send2Mac” (multiple Mac’s supported)
• Send article or just the link by mail (predefine multiple recipients)
• Copy link
• Copy Short URL (URL shortener: goo.gl, TinyURL, is.gd, bit.ly or your custom one)
• Print articles

I would like the service Pinterest to added, and the Create a Task services to include Google Tasks.

Evernote

I don’t like that when I choose to send an article to my Evernote account, it doesn’t allow me to choose which notebook or add tags. When setting up the Evernote service in Mr. Reader I can specify a default notebook and choose to send a link or the entire article, but I can not change these options for each article. Instead I can choose to use the Email Article option entering my Evernote email address, and in the subject field specifying a notebook (@Tech), and including tags (#ipad #reader #rss). But the Email Article option is only available on the RSS screen.

If I choose to view the Web version of the article, Email Article disappears from the Send options.

Diigo

When I choose to send an article to Diigo, I can add a description, tags, mark it as private, or set it to Read Later. I wish it would show suggested tags like the browser bookmarklet does. This helps me consistently use the same tags (utility or utilities? GoogleApps or Google.Apps?).

Personalization

This reader offers a lot of personalization options. You can choose to show only folders with unread items and set sorting options to chronological or grouped by feed. There are four themes, with the option to download an additional four. You can reposition the actions toolbar to left, right or bottom; and choose a font family and size. There are several Mark as Read options including those articles older than a certain number of days/weeks.

I’ve been using Mr. Reader for several weeks now. It is not free, but definitely worth the cost of $3.99. What reader do you use on your iPad?

Do you have an assistant delivering your online content like I do?

Image via CrunchBase

Most people subscribe to magazines or newspapers for the convenience of having the content delivered. For that same reason and more, I subscribe to online content using Google Reader, one of my top 10 tools that I use every day, which is key to my work flow and professional learning network. Once an hour, Google Reader is my virtual assistant, going out to collect new content in my digital mailbox. It collects new posts from all the blogs to which I subscribe; conducts a search using the keywords: virtual, learning, and online; pulls in any new resources tagged by people in my Diigo network; locates news and videos about Willard Schools; finds new forum posts and comments from the Moodle Mayhem group to which I belong; collects tweets with the hashtag #flipclass; checks my family’s Flickr accounts for new pictures; and checks my husband’s calendar for new events.

My Work Flow

Ideally, each day I access the priority folder in my reader which contains content of the greatest importance.  I have additional folders to further organize and prioritize subscriptions (Edtech, Research, Cooking, Tech News, etc). For some folders (Tech) I just skim the titles for relevant articles, quickly processing and marking as read. For other folders (Research, EdTech), I skim the articles choosing which to read in detail. As I read, I tag/highlight/sticky note items in my Diigo account. I also share items via email, a Buzz post, a blog post listing my recently tagged Diigo items, or by sending items to my Diigo Groups.

Most of the time I’m accessing Google Reader on my iPad while waiting for my daughter at the orthodontist or outside the dance studio, at the hair salon or Doctor’s office, or relaxing on deck after a week at work. I’ve tried several different readers on the iPad, but haven’t found one that syncs with Google Reader, maintains my folders, and provides the ability to tag with Diigo. So I just access it through Safari where I have the Diigolet button installed. While not as flashy as Flipboard or Pulse, it works for me.

In the Classroom

Our Willard teachers and students can access Google Reader by logging into their Willard Google Apps Accounts.

Google Reader includes options to save and tag articles, so having a Diigo account or an iPad is not required in order to save, organize, and share resources. You can view my handout for further details on how to use Google Reader.

Some of our high school students are using Google Reader for research and to read work posted on classmates’ blogs. Some of our teachers are using it as a part of their professional learning networks by subscribing to online educational content, but also are able to easily share items with students for assigned readings or as a reference.

Technically Speaking

Image via Wikipedia

Really Simple Syndication, RSS, uses behind the scenes code, which is referred to as a feed. Using a reader or aggregator, you can subscribe to this feed. Not all sites have a feed. You can look for an RSS button somewhere on the webpage. However, the universal way (works in any browser on any operating system) to see if a webpage has a feed is to attempt to subscribe to it using it’s address. First, copy the web address. Then click the Add Subscription button in Google Reader, paste in the web address and click Add. If there’s a feed, Google Reader will find it.

Your Browser’s Subscribe Button

Some browsers provide options to easily subscribe to sites:

Firefox: Bookmarks>Subscribe to this Page.

Chrome: Displays an RSS Image in the web address field that you can click to subscribe.

Internet Explorer: Displays an orange RSS symbol in the Command menu that you can click to subscribe.

Safari: Displays and RSS button in the address field that you can click to subscribe.

In Summary

My digital mailbox helps me manage the huge spurting hose of media that we call the Internet. I am constantly learning and discovering new resources while reading my feeds. RSS was a game changer for me. And even better, this is all free, no subscription fees required.