We still have a few months before Google Reader officially shuts down, however with the date set — now may be a good time to start looking. Sure, that petition is still kicking, however we are not counting on that. It would be nice to see, but our minds have already begun looking elsewhere and we have a few options to share. In total we have five to present. The first two will be the closest to Google Reader, the second two are a bit different and the last is well, just different. We should also point out that our criteria was that we could access our feeds on our Android devices.
First up, as you can see from the above image — is Feedly. This one looks to be the one that we will end up going with. It has an Android app as well as an iOS app and even options for Chrome, Firefox and Safari users. We also like that Feedly seems to be taking some steps to ensure a smooth transition for Reader users. They have already announced how they have added new servers and upgraded their bandwidth. Plus, they are working on a solution, called Normandy, that should provide for a seamless transition come July 1.
Next up is NewsBlur. This is another option that will provide a Google Reader-like experience. From what we can see this will offer a solid solution, however there may be a cost involved for some. NewsBlur has a free and paid account option, however the free account has a low limit on the amount of feeds you can subscribe. On the flip side though, sometimes paying for a service will help to ensure it sticks around. Not to mention, their pricing is really low.
Moving over to the options that are a bit different and we have Pulse and Flipboard. These are different in that they will present your feeds in a magazine style. This is certainly not like Google Reader, however now may be a good time to sort of step things up in terms of presentation and style. Pulse and Flipboard are both available for free and have Android apps. They also bring a social connection in that they can import your Facebook, Google+ and Twitter feeds.
Lastly, the one that is just different. We suggest using Twitter. You can do this with a current Twitter account, or even create a second account that is more for your personal reading. I have already been doing this to some extent, however have resisted moving all of my feeds just because I have been so stuck with Google Reader. Now seems like a good time to further explore this option. Or at the very least, give it more of a fair shot. And of course, we all know there are plenty of available Twitter apps for Android users.
IF you want the exact feel of google reader.. There is http://theoldreader.com/
Which does not have an Android application.
I use gReader, is that dead?
gReader connects into google reader so yes
Cheers. My one big gripe with Feedly is that it doesn’t integrate the api like greader when it comes to sharing an article. I like to be able to cc and @ pull a list of my twitter mates and include certain ppl but it doesn’t allow that. Also with swiftkey it doesn’t allow the autocorrect keyboard to come up. Anywho, gotta live with the changes.
Grrrrrr. That sucks!!!. I was also thinking about this. EasyRSS is really good. I feel more polished.
The gReader dev has stated that his app will live. I was relieved to hear that.
I think they will start using Normandy, which is sounding more and more like a replacement API for the Google Reader API
been using Feedly for years and never looked back.
http://eldonreader is also very good. You should really try it!
I like gReader,hope it carries on being there for us