I spend a lot of time on the Internet, and that means that I have dozens of bookmarks on various browsers, which can take me a long time to prowl through. One easy way to get through all of the sites is to use an RSS feed reader to comb through the text.
So how do you get those feeds onto your iPad? One option is PRO RSS FeedReader, a simple way to access all of your text with the convenience of Apple’s favorite tablet. But better yet, it does Twitter, too. Let’s take a moment and see what makes PRO RSS FeedReader the app to have.
Finding the Feeds
When it comes to RSS feeds, the first place to start is your favorite website. Fire up PRO RSS FeedReader and click on the plus symbol just above the feeds column. Here you can choose between a Google search, Twitter name, or even just browse the web to find your source. If you start with browsing, just click on the orange RSS button to the right of the address once the site has loaded up and the app does the rest from there. Now the site is captured in your feed and you won’t have to hunt for it again.
Stats, feeds, and more, all on your homescreen.
This works with Twitter feeds as well, which is a great way to get all of your reading done at once. Click on the plus symbol again, then go to Twitter User and enter the username of the person you wish to follow. Now their feed shows up alongside the rest in the bunch, and their name is in the left hand column as well.
Sorting the Feeds
Another great feature about PRO RSS FeedReader is the ability to sort your feeds. Let’s say that you’re a particularly anal retentive person (like myself, frankly), and you don’t want your Twitter users lumped in with your RSS feeds, but do want them in the same program. What do you do?
PRO RSS FeedReader makes it simple get through your RSS feeds quickly
Simple answer, really, just organize them by folders. Create a new folder and click the edit button on the bottom of the Feeds column. Move your feeds wherever you like, creating organizational nirvana within the program. It’s nice to put things into a perfect little spot, and it helps immensely when your RSS feeder is a few hundred webpages strong.
Viewing Your Feeds
Once everything is found, listed, and organized, you can feel free to flip through your feeds. Each article is listed on the right side of the screen, with brief descriptions of each article. Tap on a piece to read the entire article through the convenience of the app itself.
Each article can be opened up directly, as well as in the original website, all through the PRO RSS FeedReader app.
The thing is, some RSS feeds are better than others, and sometimes you don’t get the whole picture by just clicking through your articles. In that case, click on the Original Article button to pull up the PRO RSS FeedReader browser and read it there instead. Now the entire piece is handy, images and all, ready for you to check out.
As an added bonus, there’s a search feature as well. This comes in handy when you know there’s a certain article out there, you just can’t remember the full name or where it was originally published. Tap on the magnifying glass button and type in the title or content term you want to look for, and then enter. The app does all the work and finds every feed with that information in it, and does it quickly, too.
The Verdict
There are many different RSS readers out there on the iPad market, so it’s easy to get lost in the sea of competing apps. PRO RSS FeedReader is one of the better ones, but it does have a few drawbacks. For one, it can be tedious to install all of your feeds manually, because there is no way to download your feeds in mass from another program such as Google Reader (the developer assures us this feature will be here soon). It’s also a bit tricky to navigate through your first time using the program, because it’s not quite as intuitive as would be first expected. But once you’ve played around with it for five minutes, the program becomes second nature and you’ll wonder how you functioned without it.
Even with those minor flaws, this is still a great App. Overall, I give it an 8 out of 10, with just a few minor points taken off for the inconvenience factor on initial setup. Otherwise, it’s a great way to get through your daily Twitter and RSS feed without breaking the bank.