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Welcome back everybody to Feed Reader Fridays here at BBGeeks.com. I would like to take a moment to wish you all the very best for 2008.

This week we will be looking at an RSS reader named PicoNews, published by BlackTouch. This particular feed reader is unique to our list so far, in that it is available only for the BlackBerry OS. PicoNews is published as freeware, making it a cost effective solution for those of you who require some feed reading functionality from your BlackBerry handsets.

Overview

The PicoNews feed reader for the BlackBerry is one more in a line of handy RSS reading options available. While it does not particularly function any better than previously reviewed RSS reading software, it does have the benefit of being optimized for the BlackBerry Device. The manner in which it collects feeds and makes them available to you is also unique and worthy of note. Add on top of that, the fact that using PicoNews is cost free to the user and you have a number of reasons to give PicoNews a try.

Requirements

In order to download and install the PicoNews RSS reading software you will have to have a BlackBerry OS of 4.0 or higher and an internet data package. You will also have to register your subscription with BlackTouch, which you will be prompted to do upon download.

Features and Functionality

Supported Feed Types
The PicoNews application will support the distribution of all types of feed formats. This includes all manner of RSS feeds and the more complex ATOM format.

Available Feeds
One of the more unique aspects of the PicoNews software is that it collects any feed that you have added to your list of subscribed feeds and ads them to a feed catalog. You will be asked to classify each feed you add. This feed catalog is available to all registered PicoNews users and makes for a wonderfully diverse selection of content available at all times. Content that you may never have known existed, were it not for someone adding the feed to their personal list.

It is possible to classify each feed under multiple category titles. Searching for these feeds is also quite easy, simply type your search term in the search field and all related feeds will be presented in a list. Alternately, you can browse each category in it’s entirety. If you are interested in finance, PicoNews allows you to download all of the feeds in it’s catalog that have been categorized accordingly.

While discovering a great new news source or spot gossip feed is thrilling, there may also be times where you do not wish the global public to have access to your feeds. Perhaps you are viewing an internal work blog, or a family blog with information that is of little interest to anyone outside you clan. In these instances, you have the option to designate any feed as private. Private feeds will be fully accessible on your BlackBerry handset, but will not be broadcast to other PicoNews users.

Adding new feeds to the list and deleting unwanted feed content is intuitive and requires only a few clicks.

Feed Management
The PicoNews RSS reader manages your personal feed content through BlackTouch servers. Using proprietary technology, they maintain as low a bandwidth consumption rate as possible, while maximizing their delivery speed. This is achieved by pushing news items to your BlackBerry handheld in the background while you perform your everyday tasks. When you have a few minutes to take in the news, all the most recent items will be available for your viewing. Not having to manually download the feed content will assist you in maximizing your free time.

News items which have been successfully downloaded to your BlackBerry device will be available for offline viewing in the event that you are without an internet connection.

The PicoNews application is integrated with the BlackBerry Browser. This allows you to drill down to the full text of any article abstract with a single click of the trackwheel(Trackball).

Additionally, sending any news article to yourself or a friend via email is also just a matter of a few clicks or shortcut keys.

Getting Around
PicoNews has a simple, clean interface with an easy to read font appropriate for scanning news headlines. You have the ability to display only unread news, select specific feeds to display, and clear space for new feeds. A complete set of keyboard shortcuts has been integrated with the BlackBerry keypad so that performing the above mentioned tasks and more is quick and easy.

Overview

After a close look, the PicoNews feed reader gets a pass from me. It may not have all of the bells and whistles of the cross platform RSS readers, but what it does, it does flawlessly. The integrated BlackBerry shortcuts were easy to pick up and had me navigating through my feed list lightning quick. The memory and CPU consumption were moderate in my opinion and did not have any significant impact on battery life.

If you are a BlackBerry owner who is in need of an RSS reader and would prefer not paying for such an application then PicoNews is surely an option for you.

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