by When it comes to Google Reader replacements, can there be only one? The folks behind Feedly seem to believe there’s room for everyone, and have engineered a cloud sync solution that extends its reach across rival apps and onto competing platforms.
Feedly first debuted as a paid newsreader app nearly three years ago. Most recently, the company made headlines for its Google Reader API replacement, Feedly Cloud, which allows third-party apps to sync with content hosted on its servers. This move makes Feedly an enticing option: Even if you don’t like its proprietary apps, there are plenty of others to choose from, including supported iOS, Android, Windows 8, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10 clients.
Thankfully, Feedly’s free, universal app is a spectacularly polished effort capable of turning websites into beautiful, swipe-ready cards. If that’s not your cup of tea, content can also be viewed in title-only, list, or even Flipboard-style magazine views, making it one of the most customizable news readers we’ve ever used.
Swiping up jumps quickly to the next page of headlines; once at the bottom, users are presented with a large checkmark for marking entries read with a single tap. This makes Feedly a great choice for those who like to quickly scan through hundreds of feeds at once. Content can be saved for later reading within Feedly, sent to Instapaper or Pocket, and shared via email or social networks. While one-click migration from Google Reader ended with that service’s July 1 shutdown, Feedly users can still import OPML files from the website in order to sync saved feeds.
Our only real complaint is that there’s no way to group feeds by source while viewing — a feature we love in Feedly Cloud-connected apps Reeder for iPhone and Mr. Reader for iPad. While you can add or delete feeds from inside Feedly, moving or rearranging them must be done from the website or a third-party app.
The bottom line. Fast, free, and syncs with our favorite apps? There’s little not to like about Feedly, our one-stop cure for the post-Google Reader blues.
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