Bringing Google Reader sync and some Twitter features

Sep 28, 2009 14:55 GMT  ·  By

NewsGator has released the final build of the new FeedDemon 3, which is now ready for public use after a beta period. The new version comes with some pretty significant changes with the biggest being that it now syncs with Google Reader and uses the Google service as a web-based interface rather than its own proprietary solution. The change was introduced during the beta period, leading to some confusion and frustration but new users have nothing to worry about.

“Google Reader sync – Use FeedDemon at home, at your office, or anywhere you go and keep your feeds, tags and shared items synched between locations. Redesigned UI including new "Subscriptions Home" page with popular videos and articles extracted from your feeds. Tagging and tag cloud on Subscriptions Home page. Easy item sharing – let others enjoy your favorite articles with just a click. Enhanced Twitter feed reading with automatic hyperlinks and short URL expansion view,” FeedDemon's website lists some of the new features and changes.

The most important change, and the somewhat controversial, is the Google Reader sync. Many users have been asking for this feature for a long time so there should be many happy FeedDemon users at the moment. On the face of it, it looks like a marriage made in heaven, the best desktop feed reader for Windows meets the best web-based feed reader allowing users to enjoy the perfect experience.

That's the theory but in practice users have hit a few snags and not all users are happy with the migration. For one thing the actual sync process may have users lose their unread count as the first time Google Reader will sync only the first ten unread items in a feed. This may be an inconvenience for some but after the initial synchronization users will get to have as many unread items in a feed as they please. Another issue that isn't so temporary is the new ads, which now show up in the lower left corner and which aren't that intrusive but could still be an annoyance for some.

Past all this though, FeedDemon is still one of the best available desktop feed readers and the new Twitter features should breathe new life in the product. FeedDemon 3 allows users to subscribe to their own Twitter feed which is now possible thanks to the authenticated feed support. Shortened links are automatically expanded and there is also a way to share interesting entries on Twitter. Along with the usual number of tweaks and improvements the new version is a must have download for anyone using desktop feed readers.

FeedDemon 3.0 for Windows is available for download here.