This article or section contains information about computer software currently in development. The content may change as the software development progresses.

Google Reader

Google Reader screenshot
Developer:	Google
Platform:	Web browsers
Use:	RSS feed reader
Website:	http://www.google.com/reader

Google Reader is a Web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds. It was released by Google on October 7, 2005 through Google Labs. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Software, or program, enables a computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware). ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_kpager. ... Image File history File links Google_Reader_Transparent_Logo. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x583, 136 KB) Screenshot of Google Readers interface as of 28 September 2006. ... Software development is the translation of a user need or marketing goal into a software product. ... Google, Inc. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... An example of a web browser (Mozilla Firefox) showing the main Wikipedia web page. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, typically common to a particular domain name or subdomain on the World Wide Web on the Internet. ... An aggregator or news aggregator or feed reader is client software that uses a web feed to retrieve syndicated web content such as weblogs, podcasts, vlogs, and mainstream mass media websites, or in the case of a search aggregator, a customized set of search results. ... The name Atom applies to a pair of related standards. ... RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds or podcasts. ... A typical web feed logo A web feed is a data format used for serving users frequently updated content. ... Google, Inc. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Google Labs is a website demonstrating new Google projects that arent quite ready for prime time. It serves as a testing ground for new services being developed. ...

Features

Interface

Major revisions to Reader's interface were made on September 28, 2006. Nick Baum, Product Manager on the Google Reader team, whilst being interviewed by Robert Scoble, stated that the redesign is a movement toward making news aggregation something for the general public to enjoy. Nick Baum interview September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI), a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Scoble (born January 18, 1965) is an American blogger, technical evangelist, and author. ...

Here are some of the features that are now included within Google Reader:

• A front page that lets you see new items at a glance
• Import and export subscription lists as an OPML file
• Keyboard shortcuts for main functions
• Choice between list view or expanded view for item viewing (showing either just the story title or with a description, respectively)
• Automatic marking of items as read as they are scroll past (expanded view only)

Organization

You can subscribe to feeds using either Google Reader's search function, or by entering in the exact URL of the RSS or Atom feed. New posts from your feeds are then shown on the left-hand side of the screen. You can then order that list by date or relevance. Items can also be organized with labels, as well as being able to create Starred Items for easy access.

Sharing

Items in Google Reader can be shared with other Web users. This can be done by sending a link through e-mail, directing the user to the shared article; or Google Reader users can create a basic webpage, that includes all shared items from their account. Other people can then subscribe to this collated feed. Finally, users can insert a snippet of JavaScript code into their website, that will display a certain collection of shared stories in a small box.

Mobile access

A mobile interface was released on May 18 2006. It is can be used by phones that support XHTML or WAP 2.0. It has been suggested that XHTML_Modularization be merged into this article or section. ... WAP could also refer to wireless access point. ...

Personalized Homepage

On May 4 2006 Google released a new feature which enables feeds from Reader to be displayed on Google Personalized Homepage. It lets the users scroll through items, and click on them for a description. In May 2005, Google introduced Personalized Homepage, giving the ability to customize the default Google home page. ...

Firefox integration

Google Reader is included within Mozilla Firefox 2.0's feed recognition, which can automatically redirect users to Google Reader's Add Subsciption screen to add the feed. Firefox redirects here. ...

Requirements

In addition to a (free) Google Account, Google Reader requires one of the following web browsers to work: Google, Inc. ...

• Internet Explorer 6+
• Firefox 1.0+
• Safari 1.3+
• Netscape 7.2+
• Mozilla 1.7+
• Opera 9.0+

In all cases, JavaScript must be enabled for Google Reader to work. Windows Internet Explorer, previously Microsoft Internet Explorer, abbreviated IE, or MSIE,[1] is a graphical web browser developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. ... Firefox redirects here. ... Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Computer, Inc. ... Netscape Communications Corporation (commonly known as Netscape), was an American computer services company, best known for its web browser. ... Mozilla is a computer term which has had many different uses, though all of them have been related to the now-defunct Netscape Communications Corporation and its related application software. ... Opera is a cross-platform web browser and Internet suite which handles common internet-related tasks, including visiting web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts,online chat and Widgets . ... JavaScript is the name of Netscape Communications Corporations implementation of the ECMAScript standard, a scripting language based on the concept of prototype-based programming. ...

Competition

Its main online competitors are My Yahoo!, Newsgator, Rojo and Bloglines.

External links

Google Pages:

• Google Reader
• Official Google Reader Blog

Other Google Reader Pages:

• Google Reader review (Linux.com, 10/18/06)
• Google Reader printable Cheat Sheet for Shortcuts