Read It Later's new iPhone app works offline

Read It Later (download), the bookmarking meets productivity tool has a new iPhone app out (review it). It lets you sync up with your desktop reading list and pick up stories while away from your computer. But the real reason to get it, is that like the desktop version it lets you save stories for offline reading, giving you a way to catch up on content even when you're away from a sturdy data connection.

There's both a free and pro version. The pro version, which costs $2.99, adds in things like a bookmarklet for saving links from Safari, a sharing tool to post articles to external bookmarking sites, as well as a full screen browsing mode that gives you more screen real estate than you get in Safari. You can also set it to ignore the iPhone's accelerometer, which lets you read certain content sideways or upside down which can be useful for things like photos.

Here's a demo:

The company also recently released an API for developers to build Read It Later integration into their own apps. This means developers of RSS readers, or even news publishers could give readers who are also Read It Later users a way to save their content for later viewing.

[AlbertoPlantilla]

I'm wondering if they'll ever release viigo for the iphone. Honestly I get all my feeds pushed in there, and read it on the bus home or to work.

[Alhan_Keser]

I've dreamt of something like this for so long. Finally. Too bad I have a Crackberry.

[nospamboz]

I'm not sure how this is different from the Instapaper app, which has been around a long time.

[Careakith]

My thoughts exactly.

[jake4891]

And mine too. Ik don't see why the brouhaha for something that has been around a long time (done brilliantly by Instapaper). This seems either a case of bad luck for the developer (he came up with the idea too late) or a shameless copy of someone else's idea.

[rob197]

I was a Read It Later user. Then when I got an iPod Touch I switched to Instapaper Free, which has met my needs

Hmm. I'll need to try out Read It Later for iPhone/iPod Touchto see how it compares to Instapaper. Instapaper's text version of articles rocks. Does the Read It Later app offer similar functionality?

[gshappell]

Yet it doesn't do the main goal of the application - sync. However, they know about the issue and hope to have the new release out within a week.
Link-->http://ideashower.com/support/read-it-later/report-iphone-syncing-issues-here/

[nwideashower]

Nate here (Read It Later Developer), the syncing issue is only affecting a small subset of links. The majority of users should not have a problem. If you do however, please report at the link posted by gshappell

Thanks!

[georgewsu]

Even though it has fewer features, I like using I Need to Read This as a web only app. Instapaper is good too and has an iPhone/iPod app.

I've compared all three on my blog:
http://blog.techrantandrave.com/2009/04/readling-list-apps-compared-read-it.html