14 DAY TRIAL // Google hasn't even launched the extensions gallery for Chrome and the excitement is already building. Extensions have been supported to some extent by the browser for several months now, but only recently has Google gotten close to launching the feature to a wider audience. The company is now weeks, maybe days, away from introducing extensions to the Chrome beta channel and launching the online gallery, so developers are gearing up to get in early. Feedly, a feed reader - social networking aggregator hybrid, isn't wasting any time and has just launched support for Chrome.
Feedly is a service which aims to change the way you read and explore your feeds. It's not a dedicated feed reader in its own rights, it uses the feeds you already have in Google Reader, but, then again, it doesn't have to be. The interesting part comes from the way it presents the items in a magazine-style interface, making it actually feasible to read the entries inside the reader in a way that is also visually appealing.
Every action is synced back to Google Reader and almost all of the options available from Google are available in Feedly as well. It isn't a complete replacement for hardcore feed users, but for everyone else it makes an interesting option. It also integrates with other services like Twitter and FriendFeed allowing you to publish the story to those outlets. In addition, it pulls the comments around the entry from Digg and FriendFeed. Up till now though, the only way to use the service was by installing the Firefox add-on.
Now, with Google Chrome becoming increasingly popular and extensions getting the full support from the company, Feedly made the jump and launched a version for Chrome users. The Chrome extension offers pretty much the same functionality as the Firefox one, though a few features are missing for the moment. The extension is available from the Feedly website, but will no doubt be available from the extensions gallery once it's up and running. In the mean time, you can also get it from the link below. For now, you will need a developers build of Google Chrome, though the beta build should be getting extensions soon enough. After that, just click on the “Get Feedly for Chrome” button and the Feedly icon should be available in Chrome's toolbar on the right.
Feedly 2.9.151 for Google Chrome is available for download here.