Google Does a Feed Reader

Speaking of RSS, here's more news from the Web 2.0 show: Google unveiled a beta version of Google Reader, a browser-based feed reader that you can check out here.

Looks interesting but rough: Atypically for a Google product, there are aspects that aren't (at least to me) instantly intuitive. (There's a "label" option that I haven't figured out yet; it looks like a tagging feature.) And I don't see a help system or other explanatory material.

I also don't see any integration with other Google services--like the Google Personalized Homepage, for instance, which can also wrangle feeds. (From a user standpoint--or at least this user's standpoint--the one thing that Google does least impressively is to sew up all the many services it provides into a whole that's more than the parts. The company's announced an initiative called "Fusion" that aims to address this, so more integration is doubtlessly on the way. (And there was an example earlier this week: The company formally merged Google Maps and Google Local into one service that retains the Google Local moniker.)

Comments

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Anonymous

October 07, 2005

6:39 PM PT

I can't erase some feeds, there are not any option to do that

anonimo

October 08, 2005

9:20 AM PT

Just a test folks. Just a test. I do see good things to come in the future especially with Fusion.

Dave

October 08, 2005

12:03 PM PT

Go Google?

Anonymous

October 08, 2005

12:48 PM PT

um, it doesn't work

Anonymous

October 08, 2005

4:14 PM PT

I like the reader, but I have to agree that it's annoying that you can't put the reader on your "personalized" Google homepage. It's the first thing I tried to do, and I was disappointed and annoyed to find that you can not. So, I do like it, but I will like it more when I can see my Google home page and the reader from one spot.

Michelle

October 08, 2005

8:56 PM PT

Still needs polishing,but it works. And you don't need to install an aggregator.

Dax

October 08, 2005

9:05 PM PT

Pros: Get to it from any PC.
Cons: Everything else.

Seriously, this isn't meant as flamebait but the thing is poorly designed unintuitive and far slower to actually use than nearly every other reader out there. Why bother?

melvynadam

October 09, 2005

6:37 AM PT

Cant add any subscriptions since it gives a javascript error on my firefox browser when I try to go to my subscriptions.

Anyways... why bother.. there are many out there..

irshad

October 09, 2005

8:08 AM PT

I think google should add a good callendar or planner to its services first and then think about rss feeds...

oxidas

October 09, 2005

10:58 PM PT