Three contenders ... RSS reader apps - The Border Mail
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Flipboard, free.
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MobileRSS, free ($2.99 Pro removes ads).
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Pulse, free.
YOU probably don't have time to visit all of your favourite sites and services every day. Thankfully RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, can bring them all to you. Many websites include an RSS feed, usually indicated by an orange and white icon. By clicking on the icon and subscribing to the RSS feed you can be automatically notified when new content is posted.
To subscribe to an RSS feed you'll need an RSS reader, which acts a little like an email client. You'll find basic RSS readers built into many web browsers and email clients. But if you're looking for extra bells and whistles, you'll find stand-alone RSS applications for desktops, smartphones and tablets, along with online RSS readers that run in a browser. Google Reader is an impressive online RSS reader and some RSS apps rely on Google Reader for managing your RSS subscriptions. If you regularly jump between desktop and mobile devices, you might find the browser-based Google Reader is best for you.
People often use RSS to keep track of when new blog posts, news stories, podcasts or video clips are published. Often the RSS feed only contains a snippet and a link to the original webpage. But RSS isn't just for news junkies. It can also let you subscribe to everything from television guides, weather forecasts and news bulletins to daily shopping deals and auction results.
In the past few years services such as Facebook and Twitter have started to usurp the role of RSS. But while social media services rise and fall, RSS is a universal standard that can't be controlled, censored or shut down. Another benefit is that you don't need to create an account or hand over your details to subscribe to an RSS feed, so you're not inundated with advertising and spam.
RSS readers were initially simple, text-based affairs that looked like email inboxes. But the rise of touchscreen tablets has spawned a new generation of slick RSS readers that look more like newspapers and draw on a range of news sources. Some RSS readers can also tap into your social media feeds, displaying them alongside your RSS feeds. Today we're looking at three slick RSS readers designed for Apple and Android gadgets.
Flipboard
iPhone, iPad - free
flipboard.com
Reviewer's rating: 4.5/5
Flipboard draws news from a wide range of sources, but it also lets you tap into your Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader RSS feeds. Flipboard mimics the look of a newspaper, with editable sections such as news, sport and technology. You can change the publications from which they draw stories. Each section presents on a newspaper-style layout that mixes stories from different publications. You can swipe to turn pages, tap on a story to read it and then swipe to jump straight to the next story. The layout makes it easy to skim stories from a range of feeds. You can send stories to Facebook, Twitter or email. You can also save them to ''read it later'' services such as Instapaper, Pocket and Readability, but you can't access your saved lists from Flipboard.
MobileRSS
iPhone, iPad - free ($2.99 Pro removes ads)
mobilerssapp.com
Reviewer's rating: 4/5
Lacking a fancy interface, MobileRSS is purely an RSS reader that is entirely dependent on Google Reader. The two-column display lists your feeds on the left. On the right are the six most recent stories in the selected feed and you can swipe down to see more. When reading a story you can swipe across directly to the next item. MobileRSS doesn't contain a categorised library of high-profile RSS feeds, although Google Reader does. You can send stories to a range of services, including Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, Pocket, Instapaper and Evernote, but you can't import feeds from social media or ''read it later'' services. Similar to Pulse, MobileRSS is better suited to people who want to scroll through a few important feeds rather than browse a wide range of news sources.
Pulse
iPhone, iPad, Android - free
pulse.me
Reviewer's rating: 3/5
Pulse presents your RSS feeds in rows, displaying four stories a feed. You can swipe across to see more stories or down to see more feeds. When reading a story you can swipe to jump to the next story. Pulse lets you add RSS feeds from its library as well social media feeds such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Reddit and Digg. You can save stories to services such as Instapaper, Pocket (formerly Read it Later) and Evernote. Strangely you can't save to Readability but you can read stories you've saved to Readability by other means. Pulse is great if you want to scroll through a few important feeds but if you're looking to browse a wide range of news sources for interesting stories then Flipboard might be more appealing to you.
Modi needs to review style of working: RSS mouthpiece - in.news.yahoo.com
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) In an apparent disapproval by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's style of working, an article in the organisation's mouthpiece has indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has several prime ministerial candidates.
It also disapproved of Modi's reported insistence on resignation of Sanjay Joshi from the BJP's national executive last week.
The article, which figures in the latest issue of Panchjanaya, said it was being felt that Modi needed to do a rethink about organisational capabilities.
"It seems Narendra Modi needs to review his style of working and organisational ability," it said.
The article assumes significance because its author Devendra Swaroop is a former editor of Panchjanaya and has access to views of the RSS insiders.
"The role of Narendra Modi in the Sanjay Joshi episode at BJP's national executive meeting in Mumbai is worth considering...why despite having faith in the Sangh, Modi could not control his unhappiness towards a fellow RSS functionary is a mystery. He made Joshi's presence a prestige issue and allowed the media to attack the BJP and the Sangh," the article said.
It also attacked Modi over media reports about Joshi changing his travel plans and boarding a plane instead of going by train after the Mumbai meeting as the train would have touched places in Gujarat.
"It allowed opponents of the BJP to speak against Modi," it said.
Modi apparently insisted that he would attend the conclave only if his bete noire Joshi resigned from the party's national executive and the party bowed to his demand.
In a dig at Modi's prime ministerial ambitions, it said that the BJP had several chief ministers and central leaders who were capable of being its prime ministerial candidates. But it said that the decision should be taken by the the parliamentary party after the party won the Lok Sabha election.
The article in the RSS mouthpiece slamming Modi's action at the BJP executive close to veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani launching an attack on party president Nitin Gadkari, saying "the mood within the party is not upbeat".
Advani said in his blog that people were angry with the Congress-led government but they were upset with the BJP too.
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