LiteFeeds: Really Simple RSS

RSS feeds are nothing to get excited about. Sure, they’re really simple, and the syndication is a great thing for both the publisher and the reader, but RSS is only the way by which the information – the text, the audio, and the video – gets to you, not what gets to you. There’s a piece to the RSS puzzle that does deserve special notice, however: The reader.

The majority of RSS consumers don’t think much about their reader. Most stick to My Yahoo! because it’s there and because it works. Or they opt for Google Reader to stay with Google’s online office suite. Some experiment with a variety of options to find perfect utility – whether desktop-based or Web-based. A number of discerning folk even go full circle, testing a wide range only to end up where they started.

Such was my experience. A Gmail user, I immediately tried out Google Reader for size. I didn’t find it to my liking. So I searched around some more. Tried out a few standalone RSS readers, but they weren’t my thing. After some more testing, I landed back at Google Reader, which I’ve been using contentedly for several months. That is, until a day or two ago, when I learned about LiteFeeds.

An RSS feed reader with an emphasis on mobile consumption, LiteFeeds is, in one word, gorgeous. I’m a fan of reading text-on-white, with few distractions strewn about – and that’s exactly what LiteFeeds amounts to. I don’t need a ‘Blog This’ button situated alongside every post I read, or links to accessories for that matter. A direct jump to the original post is all I’m really looking for. If I want to read more of a certain article, I’d like to go straight to the source for more. That’s it. That simple. RSS is simple. The creators of LiteFeeds seem to have had the same understanding when developing their product.

The biggest gripe you’re likely to have with LiteFeeds, as I did, is the formatting, and even in this area it’s not a complete bad apple. Images are shown appropriately aligned to their corresponding posts (which is not always the case with Google Reader). But text is compacted and if paragraphs are present at the linked destination, LiteFeeds doesn’t seem to notice. Also, embedded links within the bodies of articles aren’t in evidence inside the reader, either. At first one may not notice this, what with the pretty AJAXy transfers between feeds and different sections inside one’s account occupying the mind. Give it some time, though, you’ll soon wish you had a few more of the little niceties most of today’s Web-based readers include.

Nonetheless, there’s much to love about LiteFeeds, including the mobile side of the product. Whether you’re taking Litefeeds’s WAP reader for a spin or wish to catch up on the latest items from your favorite feeds with LiteFeeds 2.0 (downloadable software compatible with Blackberries, Symbian-based devices, and Java-enabled phones), you’ll be connected to the latest news stories, features, and blog posts. You definitely can spend all your time with Litefeeds with the power provided by a full-fledged desktop browser, but if you’re traveling and have Web access on your mobile, it’s good to know your Litefeeds account is with you every step of the way.