After all the extras get stripped out, what you’re left with is the application which won our best BlackBerry RSS reader award, only upgraded. You’ll get all the feeds you want delivered right to your BlackBerry — from Viigo’s news sources or your own.

You can get Viigo News by heading to http://www.viigo.com/partner/news from your mobile browser or desktop. If you go from your computer you can view a quick flash demo of the application and the functions it performs. It’s a quick install from there. If you have a different version of Viigo already installed on your BlackBerry, delete it first before installing Viigo News.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Viigo News brings you RSS feeds without eating memory

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Viigo News brings you RSS feeds without eating memory

Infinityball will offer two versions of this application: free and paid. Both versions are rather similar right now, so I suggest you download the free version and give it a whirl. That way you’ll have a better idea of whether you’d like to drop $1.99 on the paid version.

What will be different about the paid version? Google Reader integration for one, with the ability to sync individual items and entire feeds (so if you delete a feed in GR, it will also delete in Arr! SS and vice versa). They also claim the premium version will be faster, though it’s tough to get faster than it is right now.

Also planned for future premium releases: podcast support, RSS guide, OPML import/export, background notifications, and an integration with your Messages application. The last one is pretty intriguing. I might go for select feeds delivered to my inbox.

If you want to jump right into the premium version, you can get Arr! SS at the BBGeeks Store for $1.99 until September 30. We’ll see if that sale lasts a little longer if they take their time upgrading the premium features.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Keep your RSS feeds simple with Arr! SS

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Keep your RSS feeds simple with Arr! SS

If you have not upgraded your BBGeeks RSS reader from the previous version, doing so is quite a simple process. Simply head over to the following URL: BBGeeks RSS reader download.

Once you install the new and improved RSS reader you will have all the same content you enjoyed prior to upgrading, as well as a ton of great new functionality. Read this article for a full breakdown of what it means to upgrade to Tango.

You will no doubt, immediately recognize the great new uses of the Viigo software in addition to the standard RSS reading, but aside from the obvious, there are a few interesting and creative ways to use the software as well.

3 Creative uses for the BBGeeks Tango (3.0) RSS reader

Use your RSS reader as a photo sharing tool
With the BBGeeks RSS reader you have the ability to subscribe to the Flickr RSS feed and set up their channel to get your latest photos sent right to your BlackBerry.

Not only can you view your photos using the Flickr RSS photo stream, but you can use the power of your BlackBerry to save any of these images as a device wallpaper or even send them to friends quickly and easily using the “Send article via E-Mail” functionality of Tango.

Track everyday activities using the Viigo Value Added Services
If you take the same route to work every morning, why not set up a traffic report alert that will notify you of any closures or irregular traffic patterns that may interfere with your commute. To do this you simply add the desired traffic feed from the Channel > Library > Useful Services menu. Navigate to the desired route and presto, instant updates to get you home or to work as quickly as possible.

Viigo supports traffic information from all major cities in the US and the UK.

How about tracking a package delivery using your BlackBerry? Yes this was possible with the previous version, but many people did not realize it could be done. Very similar to tracking flight information, you simply enter in your package tracking number and you will be presented with accurate data as to where in the world your delivery is at that precise moment.

Viigo supports tracking of packages via UPS, DHL and Federal Express.

Viigo as an enterprise tool
Ok so this one is not for the every day user, but it reflects the lengths to which you can stretch the functionality of the BBGeeks RSS reader to make it a relevant tool for your every day uses. Take for instance, the System Administrator at your current organization. They can use the power of Tango to monitor various alerts and signal messages that they have combined into a common RSS feed. In this manner, the RSS reader now allows them to monitor crucial data while being away from their desks performing other job related tasks.

This is a great example of how to use the RSS reader in a way that it was not originally intended.

Above I mentioned the SysAdmin, but managers or HR representatives could also make use of the power of Tango by using it to push out company wide news bulletins, messages to employees and corporate news letters. Again, not a task that was originally envisioned for the RSS reader, but one that it is perfectly suited to assist with.

There you go folks, three creative uses for your newly downloaded BBGeeks Tango RSS reader.

What kind of creative uses can you come up with?

Above we have presented you with three creative uses for the BBGeeks RSS reader that will stretch the functionality of the software to great lengths. Now it is your turn!

We here at BBGeeks.com want you, our fantastic readers, to send in your most creative uses for the BBGeeks RSS reader. Are you using it for something that you feel is particularly noteworthy? Have you found a special setting that allows for an increase in functionality?

We have PRIZES! Here are the contest rules:

In exchange for your creative suggestions we would like to make this a contest. The most creative use suggested for the BBGeeks Tango RSS reader will win a $50 gift certificate to be used on any software or accessories they choose from the BBGeeks Store.

In addition, we have some great prizes available from Viigo in the form of awesome Adidas soccer jerseys with the Viigo logo across the front (Only Large jerseys are available). One of these soccer jerseys will be paired with the $50 gift certificate and go to the winner of the contest. The other two will be awarded to those we feel offered solid tips, but did not take home the grand prize.

Voting will be done by the BBGeeks staff and entries can be sent to marketing@bbgeeks.com. The contest ends on September 24th, 2008 and winners will be announced the following day. So send in your ideas guys and girls and let’s get creative!

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

3 creative ways to use your BBGeeks Tango RSS reader

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

3 creative ways to use your BBGeeks Tango RSS reader

With a name like 3.0, Viigo is definitely looking to send a message. The message being; “We are changing the game”. One look at the feature list, which includes not only the standard RSS, news, weather and sports that we are used to, but also great new additions such as local attractions, hotel rates and hot spots, fashion, classifieds and gaming. All this and more, and it’s free!

If you are a fan of BBGeeks you already know that we like the Viigo app. We voted it the number one feed reader for the BlackBerry. We even went so far as to partner with them and bring you all the co-branded reader that gives you up to date feeds from various sections of the BBGeeks website.

Using the BBGeeks – Viigo co-branded RSS reader catch our daily articles as soon as they’re posted and see the latest software and accessories as they hit our store shelves. In future builds, you’ll even be able to listen to our podcast when it’s recorded every Friday. The best thing is when you download our RSS reader you get the power of Tango or as it is officially named: 3.0.

Taking a closer look at Viigo 3.0

There are quite a few great features wrapped up in this new Viigo 3.0. I will now break each one of them down and give you my impressions of the experience. If we are lucky then the application will live up to its name and really kick things up a notch.

News and RSS feed reading
Viigo has always done a consistent job of relaying timely news broadcasts and fresh RSS content across multiple platforms. They do a particularly good job with the BlackBerry.

Viigo sports thousands of news sources form local outlets and various international publications. You will spot popular outlets in there ( New York Times, Globe and Mail, BBC etc.) along with a great compliment of “culture” content which includes just about any blog, health and fitness information, cartoons and so much more.

2008 Election Coverage: While the race to the White House heats up, you can keep tabs on your front runner of choice with a special feed made up from a balanced combination of content providers.

With the current release, all of this content is available to BlackBerry users when they are online or out of network range. I anticipate good results here so let’s check it out.

The BBGeeks Impression:
The news feeds just rock. The reader comes pre-loaded with a ton of popular sites like TechCrunch, Boy Genius Report, Engadget, and of course, BBGeeks.com.

The best part is that it’s incredibly easy to add new content to Viigo 3.0. Just hit the Menu button and click Add Channel. You can choose from the wide range of blogs and news sites they have listed for you, or you can manually enter any RSS feed address to get instant updates. To top things off, you can sync with your computer RSS reader. This is compatible with Google Reader, My Yahoo, and Bloglines. There’s also an option to add a Craigslist channel, an ESPN search channel, or a general search channel.

Local events and lifestyle information
Whether you need to find the nearest bank or the best deal on a new sofa, Viggo 3.0 is there to help out. You can check out all kinds of interesting stuff on Kijiji, or find up to date currency exchange information, restaurant reviews and more.

I live in a smallish city in Ontario so I am going to see exactly how local Viigo thinks I want to go.

The BBGeeks Impression:
At this time, the local section is limited to classified ads. You can search cars & vehicles, community, for sale, housing, jobs, personals, pets, and services listings in your area. The load time can be a little slow for larger cities, but it’s not bad. It seems to take longer with more generic searches, like ‘2 bedroom’ for housing. When I searched ‘Fender Telecaster’ under For Sale, it found results considerably faster.

Entertainment of all kinds
As far as entertainment is concerned, Viggo covers it on all angles. With only a few clicks you now have access to all the latest news out of Hollywood, movie reviews and updates from the world of fashion. Additionally, you will have direct access to a large library of BlackBerry games, themes and ringtones from Bplay.

The BBGeeks Impression:
The selection from Bplay is quite impressive. You can choose from their latest and top games, themes, and other products. The news section comes default with three feeds: Yahoo!, MTV, and Rotten Tomatoes. You can choose to subscribe to these, and they will be added to your News & RSS section. You can add other entertainment news sites from the Add Channel function.

Tracking your stocks and finances
Never has it been easier to track your investments using your BlackBerry. With Viigo you can keep your eye on market fluctuations and manage your entire portfolio at any time. There is even a specially selected set of feeds set up to bring you up to the minute news from the financial district.

The BBGeeks Impression:
This is essentially another area where you can add feeds to your News & RSS section. Under the Portfolios heading, you can add feeds regarding widely held stocks and a number of portfolios, including healthcare, financial, services, technology, and energy. Under news you can add items from the New York Times Dealbook blog, Reuters, Marketwatch.com, and Yahoo! Finance. Finally, you can add feeds for up to date exchange rates for dozens of countries.

Flight and travel information
Viigo offers a great set of tools for tracking your individual flight and travel schedules. You even have the ability to set up detailed itineraries and have Viigo watch them for any changes. In turn you will be notified of any cancellations or modifications to your chosen route. As an added bonus, if any of your flights are canceled, Viigo will suggest possible alternate arrangements for you.

The BBGeeks Impression:
Not having any flights booked, I wasn’t able to really get into the flight tracking and alerts features. You can, though, search flights by airport departures or flight number. Once you add your flight, Viigo keeps track of your itinerary, and even adds in flight status. This seems to be as good as many applications we featured in our flight status and information for BlackBerry article.

Sports information
We all have a favorite team in some sport or another. If you are an avid fan, perhaps you have a handful of teams and players that you track closely. Viigo is here to help you out with this task by providing up to the minute scores and schedules for all the major league sports.

Whether your passion is PGA, MLB, NCAA, NFL, CFL, English Premiere League or the NBA, Viigo has all the stats you need right there at your fingertips.

The BBGeeks Impression:
These feeds add live score updates to your Viigo 3.0. You can select from baseball, basketball, football, golf, and motor sports. Hopefully, they’ll add a few more in the future. Hey, hockey season isn’t that far off.

Weather watching
One of the most popular uses for the BlackBerry other than checking the news and banging out email is to keep tabs on the local weather. As usual, Viigo is ready to help you judge whether or not to take that umbrella with you, or perhaps to go with the heavier sweater. Subscribe to weather forecasts from all over the place and get up to the minute data, satellite and radar mapping and 5 day weather forecasts.

The BBGeeks Impression:
When you go to add a city, Viigo asks if you want your temperatures in Fahrenheit or Celsius. It does have a database of a number of cities, including smaller towns. I found my small home town on the list, and I don’t even tell people I’m from there, because no one has ever heard of it.

Final thoughts on Viigo 3.0

Not everyone likes RSS. Some think it makes beautiful sites bland. Others just like the idea of surfing. Me? I’m an RSS guy. I have 30 some-odd feeds in my Google Reader on the desktop, so it’s nice to know I can sync them up to my BlackBerry. That saves some memory space, since it means I don’t need the Google Reader app anymore.

Overall, Viigo 3.0 runs pretty damn fast. The design is intuitive and simple. No crazy bells and whistles. Everything I clicked either loaded immediately or experienced very short load times. Best of all, it didn’t freeze my ‘Berry, which I had happen with the past couple of Viigo builds. Everything was smooth as a bowling ball.

Even if you’re not as impressed as me with the design or functionality, you can send feedback to Viigo right from the reader. Just click on the Feedback option, and you’ll be able to report bugs, request features, and make user interface suggestions. If you see something, say something. It just means that the official build of Viigo will be that much better.

The BBGeeks version of the Tango feed reader can be downloaded here!

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The official launch of Viigo 3.0 (Tango) beta for your BlackBerry

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The official launch of Viigo 3.0 (Tango) beta for your BlackBerry

The five criteria for scoring are as follows: Ease of use (download to news reading), Look and Feel, Feature Set, Navigation, and Freshness of delivered content.

NOTE: Click through on the titles of each RSS reader to view the full reviews

And the Award for Best BlackBerry Feed Reader Goes to . . .

Viigo BlackBerry RSS reader released by VirtualTech

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
• Feature Set:
• Navigation:
• Content Freshness:
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The FreeNews reader released by FreeRange Communications

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
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The NewsGator feed reader

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
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• Navigation:
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The NewsFlash RSS reader released by TwistSoft

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
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The Berry Bloglines RSS reader

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
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• Navigation:
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The PicoNews feed reader

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
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RssNews! for the BlackBerry released by Imoblife

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
• Feature Set:
• Navigation:
• Content Freshness:
• Overall Rating:
  

Google Mobile RSS reader

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
• Feature Set:
• Navigation:
• Content Freshness:
• Overall Rating:
  

SimpleReader Mobile released by SimplePie

• Ease of use:
• Look and Feel:
• Feature Set:
• Navigation:
• Content Freshness:
• Overall Rating:
  

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeeks BlackBerry Feed Reader Awards

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeeks BlackBerry Feed Reader Awards

This week we are going to put the Rio V2 feed reader in the spotlight, which is produced by The arc90 Lab.

The Rio V2 feed reader is a web based application for use free of charge. Simply point your mobile browser at the following URL: http://rio.arc90.com.

Overview

The arc90 Lab: Rio V2 is a web based RSS reading application, which means you do not have to actually download any software onto your BlackBerry device. The Rio V2 application can be located at the URL above. Once you have accessed the correct URL with your mobile browser you will notice a search box and a list of selected news sources, which are grouped by specific category.

You have the option of entering a search term, news source or blog into the search box in order to locate a specific feed or subject matter. If the source that you have identified is not formatted properly to display mobile content, it will be automatically stripped down via Google’s Mobile Parser.

Requirements

There are no specific requirements for accessing the Rio V2 feed reading software on your BlackBerry. The software should run on any OS and any model of BlackBerry you may own as long as you have your mobile browser enabled.

Features and Functionality

Standard List of News Feeds
Rio V2 offers you an initial list of news feeds so that you can jump right into the RSS experience. In addition to the search box, when you load up Rio V2 on your BlackBerry you are immediately presented with a series of categories, each containing multiple news feeds.

Categories include: Top Stories, Sports, Business, Technology, Entertainment, Health & Science, and Cool Stuff.

• Top Stories (12 news sources)
• Sports (6 news sources)
• Business (6 news sources)
• Technology (8 news sources)
• Entertainment (9 news sources)
• Health & Science (5 news sources)
• Cool Stuff (10 news sources)

Low Data Usage
The Rio V2 RSS reader is specifically designed to use as little bandwidth as possible. This goes a long way to save you on data usage while browsing your favorite news feeds. If you are in a contract with a service provider who does not offer an unlimited data package for your BlackBerry, this is certainly a concern for you.

Support of various feed types
There is full support for both the RSS and ATOM feeds. Additionally, if the content you wish to view is not formatted for mobile viewing it will be converted into a format suitable for display on your BlackBerry.

Bookmarking and Sending to a Friend
While there is no specific feature within the Rio V2 web based RSS reader that will allow you to bookmark a news item or send it to a freind, these are all possible using the default mobile browser functionality.

Adding and Removing Feeds
Using the Rio V2 RSS reader, you will notice that you can not add or remove feeds from the predefined list of news sources. When using the search box to identify or discover new news sources, you will have to manually enter the full URL, keyword for each new search. You can not save your searches unfortunately.

My Opinion

I have to say, the arc90 Lab: Rio V2 RSS reader is an excellent application choice for an individual who is new to the concepts of RSS reading. With it’s stripped down interface and no-frills presentation, there is really nothing to distract you from your news or confuse you. That being said, I think that experienced users will be underwhelmed with what arc90 Labs is putting forth here. If you fit into the later category, you might want to check out some of our other RSS reader reviews for an option better suited to your needs.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

arc90 Lab Rio V2 Feed Reader Review

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

arc90 Lab Rio V2 Feed Reader Review

The feed reader we will be looking into this week is the Google Mobile Reader. This is a web based RSS reading application which requires you to have a Google account set up prior to usage. To utilize the Google Mobile RSS reader simply navigate to the following URL using your BlackBerry mobile browser: http://www.google.com/reader/m .

Signing up for a Google account

To sign up for a Google account, simply navigate to Google’s homepage and click the login link in the top right corner of your screen. You will be taken to the sign in page. On the right side of your screen you will see the login area, immediately below this is a link which reads “Create an account now”.

Click the link and follow all of the instructions to create a new Google account, which will then be used to configure your feed preferences for the Google Mobile RSS reader.

First impressions of the Google Mobile RSS reader

When using the Google Mobile RSS reader you will have to set up your preferences through the online control panel. To do this, navigate to www.google.com/reader/m on your PC and sign in using the login and password you created when setting up your account.

Here you will decide if you want 5, 10 or 20 news items presented on each page when browsing feeds. Clicking over to the Google Reader will allow you to choose the news feeds you would like to track.

The interface for adding new news feeds it straight forward and easy to navigate. I was able to add the BBGeeks feed with a few simple clicks. Google also has a set of preselected feed bundles available to you in the event that you are new to the world of RSS, or just looking for a quick list of feeds in a certain genre.

My selected feeds were available immediately after clicking the subscribe button. Overall, the sign up, setup and selection of feeds was easy. In my opinion, having an online dashboard is a great time saver when it comes to updating a feeds list, whether adding new news feeds or removing them. With an online dashboard you can fly through the entire process, leaving only the reading of news to be done on your BlackBerry.

Features and functionality

Fast and continuous updates of your selected feeds
The Google Mobile RSS reader makes it very easy to keep up with multiple websites and all of the content they produce. As soon as a new article is published, that content will be visible in your feed reading list under the appropriate website. This is a great way to save precious minutes in your day by not having to access each of your favorite websites individually.

Easy to discover new content
While adding new news sources to your feed list may seem like a daunting task considering how may sources are out there, with Google Mobile RSS reader, the task is ultra easy. All you have to do is run a quick search for any keyword or phrase you like and Google will populate a results page with a bunch of great related feeds you can add.

Google Reader public pages
Google allows you to post your favorite content to a page which is accessible to the general public. Using this page you can easily share links with your friends in an easy to access manner. In addition to this, it is only a one click process to select an item and share it.

Highlight feed items for further review
While browsing a bunch of feeds, you may come across an article which you want to come back to at a later time. With the Google reader you can add a star to the description of any news item by scrolling down to the bottom of the article and choosing “Add Star”.

My Conclusions

Overall, I am satisfied with the functionality of the Google Mobile RSS reader. It makes it very easy for an individual to keep up with a multitude of news content from their favorite sources across the web. I am also a big fan of having an online dashboard where I can make changes to my feed list etc.

That being said, the application still seems sparse to me. Why can I not select a feed item and send it via email right from my BlackBerry? Why can I not mark all of my feeds as read or unread?

This particular RSS reader is a good starting point for those who are new to RSS reading, but if you are truly a power user you may want to look at some of the other options available to you as a BlackBerry user.

Handy Tip courtesy of Digital Inspiration

With the Google Mobile RSS reader you can do something pretty cool that I have not seen anywhere else. You can actually convert any website that has an RSS feed into a mobile version sized for your BlackBerry. To do this you have to copy the feeds address and then add it to the end of a particular URL string associated with the Google Mobile RSS reader.

The format should look like this: http://www.google.com/reader/m/view/feed/[feed_address]

This is a great way to bookmark any sites you may keep tabs on that are not specifically formatted for mobile access.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Google Mobile Feed Reader Review

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Google Mobile Feed Reader Review

This week we are going to take a look at the SimpleReader which is made available to you by SimplePie.org.

The SimpleReader Mobile feed reading solution is free to use, but will incur data charges from your carrier..

Overview

The SimpleReader Mobile platform is a departure from the traditional RSS reading solutions we have been profiling for you up until now. Instead of being an actual piece of software that you download and install onto your BlackBerry, this solution provides a web based gateway to all your favorite news content.

In order to browse any RSS feed that is published to the web without downloading any special software, you can simply point your mobile browser at the following URL m.simplepie.org. Once you are there, you will see a dialog box where you can type in any address under the sun. If that website publishes it’s content in an RSS format, the feed will then be presented to you.

Thats it, no frills, no special features. Just straight forward feed reading on the go.

Requirements

There are no special requirements for running the SimpleReader Mobile. The software should run on any OS and any model of BlackBerry you may own. As long as you have access to your BlackBerry mobile browser you are set.

Features and Functionality

The functionality of the SimpleReader Mobile platform is limited to the display of RSS feeds for a mobile device. There are no frills here, just straight forward reading of any feed you enter into the search field.

That being said however, the SimpleReader Mobile platform loaded all the feeds I entered very quickly. I had my news when I wanted it with little to no hassle. So while the features list is non-existent, the functionality works well.

My Opinion

If you know exactly what feeds you are interested in reading and only have a few that you check on from time to time, you may find that using SimpleReader Mobile is a quick and painless option for keeping up to date on your news. On the other hand, if you are looking for an actual RSS reader that you can install on your BlackBerry which will automatically update feed lists and keep track of read and unread items etc., you may want to look elsewhere. I would suggest taking a look at our previous RSS reader reviews. I am willing to bet you will find for a more suitable option there.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

SimpleReader Mobile Feed Reader Review

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

SimpleReader Mobile Feed Reader Review

This week we are going to take a look at the RssNews! RSS reader which is produced by IMOBLIFE.

The RssNews! feed reading application is priced at $9.99, but is available as a free trial download.

Overview

The RssNews! feed reader is a no frills piece of software that does exactly what you would expect from it’s name. You do not get any fancy graphic styling or intricate menu options. What you do get is straight forward news browsing in an RSS format on your BlackBerry.

All actions are performed from within the RssNews! application with the exception of reading full articles. When you wish to drill down into the full details of an article you will notice that RssNews! launches your mobile BlackBerry Browser to present the content.

While RssNews! does not offer all the bells and whistles of some of our other reviewed RSS readers (eg. Viigo and their online subscription management system), it does deliver the news you want both quickly and efficiently.

Requirements

There are no special requirements for running the RssNews! feed reading software on your BlackBerry. The software should run on any OS and any model of BlackBerry you may own.

Features and Functionality

Pre Selected News Feeds
RssNews! offers you a large number of pre selected news feeds so that you can get started with the RSS experience right away. When you load up RssNews! on your BlackBerry you are immediately presented with a series of categories, each containing multiple news feeds:

• Top News (23)
• Entertainment (31)
• Technology (10)
• Health (8)
• Finance (10)
• Sports (10)
• Blog (10)
• Opinion (10)

Low Data Usage
The RssNews! feed reader as stated above is no frills, so when browsing your feeds you end up using a very small amount of data. If you are operating your BlackBerry without an unlimited data plan this is an important factor to consider.

Support of various feed types
There is full support for both the RSS and ATOM feed types.

Auto Update of all your chosen feeds
The RssNews! reader will run in the background while you use your BlackBerry for more important things. When it is time for you to take a break and digest some of your favorite news, all of your feeds will be entirely up to date. This saves you on bandwidth because there is no need to download extraneous data while trying to access the new content.

Browse Full Article Content
You have the option to dig down within the abstract of a particular article or news item in order to view the full text and images. When you choose to do so, your session will be transfered to the BlackBerry Mobile Browser ensuring you have access to all links and images.

Bookmarking and Sending to a Friend
With only a few clicks you can bookmark an article or abstract for offline viewing. This makes it a great resource for times when you may be without a cellular signal, or limited in how you use your BlackBerry (ie. on a plane or in a hospital). Additionally you will also have the option of email an article or abstract to yourself or a friend who may find it interesting.

Adding and Removing Feeds
Yes, the pre selected set of news feeds available through RssNews! by default is entirely useful and has some great resources included. This does not mean that it is comprehensive however. In the event that you wish to read an RSS feed that is not included in the RssNews! default configuration, it is really a matter of a few clicks of the trackwheel (trackball). Removing feeds from your list once they have been added is equally as painless.

My Opinion

In my opinion, the RssNews! feed reader is an excellent application choice for those of you who have never been introduced to the concepts of RSS reading before now. With it’s easy to navigate architecture and straight forward, no-frills presentation, there is really nothing to distract you from your primary task of reading the news. That being said, I think that a more experienced user will find this application to be underwhelming. If you fit into the later category, you might want to check out some of our other RSS reader reviews for a more suitable option.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

RssNews! Feed Reader Review

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

RssNews! Feed Reader Review

This week we will be taking a closer look at the Berry Bloglines reader. This RSS reader is built on open source code and requires an active Bloglines account. Once you have signed up for your account (it is free!), simply add any feeds you wish to your Bloglines account and they will be deployed to your BlackBerry on a regular basis.

Registering your Bloglines account

The registration process is quite simple. Just enter in your email address and choose a password. You will also be asked for your time zone and preferred language. Once you have entered in all the appropriate information, an authorization email will be sent to your for confirmation. Click the URL in the delivered email and you are off to the races.

You will be taken to the Bloglines subscription center where you can add new feeds to be viewed on your BlackBerry. Right away you are presented with a list of the most popular subscriptions available (as determined by Bloglines members). Additionally you are given an expanding subject tree which, when drilled down, allows you to select feeds from many different categories.

Categories include: Animal Lover, Artist, Biz Wiz, Blogosphere Buzz + many, many more.

There are multiple feeds available under each of the categories so you will have no trouble finding content that will engage you.

Installing the Berry Bloglines software

Installation of the Bery Bloglines software is easy. The only step required is to point your BlackBerry Browser to the following URL and have it download and install the Berry Bloglines files.

Download Link:http://www.thebogles.com/berrybloglines.jad

Alternately you can download the Application Loader.zip and install the files via PC.

First impressions of the Berry Bloglines RSS reader

Upon first accessing the Berry Bloglines software from your BlackBerry you will be prompted to enter the email address and password you used to sign up during the initial registration.

Visually there is nothing stunning about the Berry Bloglines feed reader. That being said however, the lack of graphics and clutter makes for an easy to navigate experience overall.

Moving around from feed to feed is intuitive, but adding feeds could use a little work. In particular, I was presented with a page when I clicked through on the authorization email. On this page I could select from a vast number of feeds to get me started. I only selected a couple feeds from the list at first, thinking that I could get back to this list later on. The thing is that you cannot access this page from anywhere else. In the short time I was able to use the software, I did not find a link to this page accessible from my BlackBerry. I was, however, able to click through the email again and select more feeds.

There is a great community surrounding the Berry Bloglines reader, with a forum in place where you can participate and ask/answer questions from other subscribers. It also appears that they are attempting to expand their offerings and functionality to allow you access to more than just the RSS feed of any particular website. Available to you are blogs, news, podcasts and more.

This product is in Beta currently so further advancement is inevitable. I expect a truly unique product will be created by the end of the beta phase with the help of members participating in the community.

Features and functionality

All-in-one Blog and news feed search, online subscriptions, news reader, blog publishing and social sharing tools

As stated above, the Berry Bloglines RSS reader will handle just about any content you throw at it. This means a great deal more than just RSS and ATOM feeds. Additionally there are many supported functions to post your news in a published feed, submit and participate in social media networks, and manage all of your online newsletter subscriptions. There is a great deal of information about all of these functions and more being discussed in the Bloglines Forums. Take a look for yourself and I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Available in 10 languages
You don’t speak English? No problem. Berry Bloglines is available in a variety of languages. The documentation states it is available in 10 languages but I can only see 6 in my preferences drop down box. The languages available for selection are: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian.

Mobile version optimized for handheld computers and cell phones
The Berry Bloglines feed reader uses the Google mobile content formatter to optimize any and all requested content. This means you can view full articles rather than snippets and maintain the integrity of all internal links etc.

Email subscriptions help manage your e-newsletter traffic
This is a feature which I have not seen on any other RSS reader reviewed so far. If you are subscribed to any e-newsletters, you can have those emails routed through the Bloglines servers and then distributed to your BlackBerry for reading at your convenience. No more checking multiple email addresses to keep up on your various subscriptions.

Package Tracking (UPS, USPS & FedEx)
This is a great added feature. Simply enter in the tracking number generated by your preferred delivery service and Berry Bloglines will spit out all the necessary details for you to keep tabs on the status of your package.




Custom weather forecasts
Tell Berry Bloglines where you are and it will produce a custom weather forecast for you. You have the ability to set multiple locations to track weather in various cities.

Quick Pick Subscriptions get new users started quickly and easily
This is the page I mentioned earlier that I had trouble getting back to. Be sure to give this page a good looking over and select as many feeds as you think you may be interested in. It is easy to delete feeds from your list so go nuts.

Personalized recommendations to find new subscriptions
The more you use the Berry Bloglines feed reader, the more their servers get used to your preferences. If you are having trouble finding a news feed, or are just looking for something random and new, Berry Bloglines will use the information it has gathered regarding your preferences and suggest some available feeds it thinks you may like.

Bookmarklet for single-click subscriptions to any source
This is quite handy and should be incorporated into some of the other online based feed reading programs. It is a section of code which can be dragged into the bookmarks toolbar on Firefox. After the bookmarklet is in place, you can click on it while visiting any website and that website will be added to your Bloglines feed for future mobile access.


Bloglines Saved Searches deliver future articles matching your key words and phrases
When searching for new feeds to add to your Bloglines account, your search terms are archived. Going forward, Bloglines will use these saved search terms to help determine what new feeds you may be interested in.

Most Popular lists show the days hot topics and which blogs are getting the most noticed
This is a handy feature for those of you who are not quite as addicted to RSS as the rest of us. (Oh don’t worry, you will be shortly)

Every day the Bloglines server will tally up the most popular subscriptions and the hottest topics being discussed. These will then be offered to your for subscription. Assuming that you do not know too many resources for the type of content that interests you and you need to fill up your list; or that you are looking for “something new”, this feature will help you out immensely.

My Conclusions

Overall I have mixed feelings about the Berry Bloglines feed reading software. I think it is absolutely incredible at what it does and it looks like it is expanding into territory that no other reader even dares. That being said, I think that for those of you looking for a straight forward RSS reader will not even use half of the functionality of this software and should therefore be looking at some of the other available RSS options for BlackBerry owners.

For the tech savvy blogger or the “internet crowd”, I think that Berry Bloglines has much to offer. You should definitely give this package a try. Get into it and watch your productivity increase.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Berry Bloglines Feed Reader Reviews

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Berry Bloglines Feed Reader Reviews