Webware

Google has unveiled its plans to let Chrome subscribe to RSS and Atom feeds.

(Credit: Google)

My biggest day-to-day gripe about Chrome is its missing support for automatic discovery of Web pages that offer RSS or other subscription services. But Google now has published a document detailing how it plans to address that weakness, though.

"We will autodetect RSS and Atom feeds using the standard autodiscovery tags," according to the developer document about Chrome support for RSS and Atom, a similar technology for letting people sign up for update "feeds" such as new blog postings. "When a feed is available for a page, we will display an RSS icon in the address bar."

Firefox shows the standard orange feed icon in its address bar when it encounters a site that has offers a feed; clicking it lets a person subscribe to the feed with a Web service such as Bloglines, My Yahoo, or Google Reader. Internet Explorer lets people subscribe to the feed using itself as the feed-reading software, an approach I dislike.

Google's mock-up of the Chrome page used to subscribe to RSS or Atom feeds.

(Credit: Google)

Though I switched to Chrome by default, I still use Firefox when I want to subscribe to a feed when there's no explicit or obvious option to do so on the Web page itself. Sometimes I seek out a feed, but with Chrome, there's often not even an icon to suggest I might want to even if I wasn't planning on it.

Chrome's subscription mechanism works as follows: when a person clicks on the feed link, Chrome will display a browser-formatted version of the content. Above the content is a "subscribe now" button with a drop-down menu that lets a person select a specific feed reader.

"A newly added feed reader becomes the default selected option the next time a feed is previewed," the document said.

The approach looks good to me, but there's no indication about when it will come to fruition. Google also showed a similar planning document for Chrome extensions, but version 1.0 has been released and there's still no way to use AdBlock Plus or Roboform, the two Firefox extensions I hear the most requests for in Chrome.

Google continues with its approach of release early and iterate often, though. On Tuesday evening, it released a new developer version of Chrome, 1.0.154.39.

The new version fixes a spate of bugs, including a couple that hampered use of Microsoft's Hotmail and the activation of the F1 function key to show Google's Chrome help site.

A look at the new Bloglines beta.

RSS reader start-up Bloglines has rolled out the first step of an extensive redesign, launching a new "skin" to its beta testers and starting to work advertising into members' feed readers.

On the ad front, Bloglines has started putting display ads into search results and into individual members' "start pages," with more forms of advertising on the way--specifically within feed readers.

Bloglines first started its beta rollout nearly a year ago; the early player in the RSS feeder niche has faced increased competition from Google Reader as what was once a Mountain View, Calif., side project has become the reader of choice for many new-media junkies. Bloglines is now owned by Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp.

This post was updated to note Bloglines' ownership.

Web-based RSS feed aggregator Spreed is casual reading's worst enemy. A speed-reader extraordinaire like Robert Scoble might enjoy it as a way to dig through even more stories a day, but at its heart it's kind of like visiting an aquarium with one of those moving sidewalks; you're still seeing what you came there to see--you just don't have the luxury of taking your time.

Time is actually the key focus of Spreed. It centers on a speed-reading player that will only show you three or four words of a story at a time, and in rapid succession. As your reading skills improve you can ramp up the number of words per minute it shows you, letting you speed-read any story at whatever level you're capable of. Sure you could do this on your own, but Spreed forces you to look at nothing else but the words, making reading a distraction-free, yet slightly anxiety-inducing experience.

Like Netvibes, My Yahoo and others, Spreed has a built-in directory of RSS feeds you can subscribe to. What makes it neat is that it gives you a estimation of how long it will take to go through a story based on its length and your current WPM setting. It also shows you the time it thinks it would take you to read the story when not in speed-read mode, along with a link in between the two to jump to the site itself. You can even plug in Microsoft Word documents, effectively making it a free speed-reading training tool.

In addition to the desktop flavor, Spreed has an iPhone variation that will let you access your bookmarked feeds and read them using the same speed viewer. It too has a quick WPM selector in case you want to dial it up a notch.

Ideally in the future Spreed could come out with a browser plug-in or bookmarklet that will take any story or RSS entry and run it through its player, letting you use a more capable RSS reader like Google Reader or Bloglines to add in some of the features it's missing like link sharing, folders, and favoriting.

[via SimpleSpark]

Spreed takes full RSS feeds and makes them easy to parse with a speed-reading player. You can tweak how many words per minute you want to read at and it will adjust accordingly. (click to enlarge)

(Credit: CNET Networks)

I have received requests for an inclusive index of all 300 of the Webware 100 finalists. So if you're looking for a particular product in the Webware 100, check out this alphabetical list of all of them. Click through to the product's category page to read more about it and cast a vote.

As of this writing, we've recorded more than 840,000 unique Webware 100 product votes. That's already more than we got last year! We think this highlights how important Web-based apps are becoming to mainstream technology users--the audience that CNET aims to serve with this site, as we currently do with Download.com and CNET.com itself.

Click through to the permalink page for the list...

... Read more

Evite added mobile capabilities yesterday to speed up the party-planning process. Its QuickVite features let you send invitations in one step from an e-mail account or mobile phone, and handle RSVPs the same way. Of course, you can also juggle the details at Evite.com.

This could help to make managing a party less exhausting. Even picking a design for an online invitation can waste time, especially for a last-minute get together. For instance, Evite offers 57 templates for cocktail parties alone, not to mention options for dozens of events from anniversaries to weddings.

In one step, you can plan a party and invite people via e-mail and text message.

(Credit: CNET)

The painless sign-up process requires adding mobile numbers for yourself and friends. But it was weird that Evite didn't prompt me to add names already in my address book--a big drawback if you want 50 of your closest pals to join you on that free dinner cruise that takes off in a few hours.

You can ask QuickVite to send event details to your own phone to check who's coming or ditching. Alerts can ping you when folks reply or when a party you're attending changes. Thoughtfully, however, Evite does not set those alerts by default, so you won't be bombarded by text messages on your handset unless you ask for them.

Among some drawbacks, though, I'd like Evite to offer better integration with maps, as MyPunchbowl does. Improved integration between QuickVite and the rest of Evite features would be nice. I wish I could turn a QuickVite into a regular Evite later, in case I wanted to use the mobile invitation as a save-the-date notice, and then flesh out the details of a party when I had more free time.

Still, this is a step in the right direction for Evite, which is adding QuickVite to Facebook. A mobile application that Evite is building could very well add some of the pieces I found missing in QuickVite. In September the company added a send-to-phone capability allowing people to access party details on their handsets.

Evite manages more than 450,000 invitations every month. It's owned by IAC Search & Media, the parent of the Ask.com search engine and Bloglines feed reader.

(See more party-planning services here.)

WebRunner removes most browsing functionality from Firefox.

(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)

Mozilla's WebRunner is a single-serving version of Firefox that strips away all the bells and whistles. There's no Web surfing to be done with this lightweight tool. Menus, extensions, themes, toolbars, and navigation have all been excised, like a sculptor cutting away excess marble.

What you're left with is a Site Specific Browser for Windows, Mac, or Linux that uses bookmark files with the WEBAPP extension. The installer configures these files to open in WebRunner, but there's no "launch program" icon or option. You just double-click on a WEBAPP file you've downloaded or created, and off you go, ready to get to work without getting distracted by the temptation to surf anywhere else.

... Read more

If you're looking for another way to read Web content on your mobile phone, there's a new solution called Mippin that will let you browse and sort through popular Web feeds about as easily as you can using a desktop RSS browser. The service was created to tackle the problem of so many sites not offering a "mobile" version for cell phone users.

Browse your feeds by favicon, or the top stories voted on by the Mippin community.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Mippin serves a variety of feeds, which can be browsed and sorted by genre. You can also search by URL, and the service will do its best to convert the content into something resembling a story, with images in the right places. Unlike Google Reader's stark text approach, Mippin goes a little more visual, taking whatever pictures are on a post and adding them as a thumbnail next to the headline. It's a pleasing effect, and makes browsing headlines a little more enjoyable--similar to what Reddit Media has done on its site. The service supports itself through small text ads that bookend some of the feed directories and stories, but you won't find any annoying banners, click-through links, or story interruptions.

The real draw to the site is its directory, which is truly massive. There's page after page of links to good content. You can save the feeds you like to your "My Mippin" section, and share any particular story via e-mail or SMS. There's also an option to send it to Twitter, which unfortunately sends the Mippin-ized version of the story instead of its original link. In addition to its directory, the service also keeps track of what stories and feeds are getting the most play, and promotes them on the start page. You can also vote on a site's feed as being good or bad. The highest ranked sites have their own separate listing from the categories section, complete with a percentage of how many readers liked the feed.

Is Mippin that much better than Google Reader mobile when it comes to feeds? I'm not completely sold. While Mippin makes browsing a little more appealing, Google Reader still trumps Mippin by showing you what you haven't read, along with quick snippets of the article to help you decide whether to click on it. Google Reader also gives you a few more sharing options, depending on what the origin site offers, and shows you are any story comments. Nonetheless, I'm digging Mippin's approach--it's very fresh, clean, and useful, if you're looking to get some reading done on the go.

See also: Mowster, Bloglines Mobile, NextBlast ,NewsGator Mobile

[via Blognation]

Three more companies making new micro-applications that track and deliver media preferences.

Matchmine allows consumers to figure out what kind of media they like by creating a MatchKey, or a visualization of their preferences.

Just give a ZIP code, date of birth and rate some movies, blogs, etc. with a star system a la Netflix. Users can share their MatchKey with friends and/or advertisers, but not any personal information. The Facebook widget version show what the person has in common with his or her friends--like Flixster, but not in list form. Matchmine has an API online for developers to create their own cute little widgets or different ways of visualizing preferences. Partners of Matchmine get access to the media in a MatchKey if the MatchKey has been shared. This, of course, helps them deliver relevant ads to you.

MuseStorm makes widgets. It's a platform for making desktop widgets and mobile apps, and then lets customers monetize them. The presenters say it can be done in three minutes--Facebook apps, Google Gadgets and a variety of desktop applications. Users don't need to know anything about making widgets, just how to make a PowerPoint presentation. MuseStorm creation process works in a similar manner way--by creating a series of slides. MuseStorm says it tracks impressions and unique visitors to each widget.

FeedHub delivers just the stuff you want via RSS. How does it do it? Based on your personal preferences. Nice. It isn't a new feed reader, instead it improves the relevancy of your feeds. FeedHub works with Google Reader, Bloglines and more. Once you've uploaded OPML files, FeedHub analyzes what you've uploaded and shoots you back the stuff via RSS that you've shown you like the best. It knows this by what you've clicked on or sent to a friend. You can also explicitly say which sources you do or don't like, and a small icon shows how and why it thinks you will like something. Also links up with your blog, your Digg profile and more.

Bloglines has just launched a new beta version of its site. Bloglines has been an immensely popular Web-based RSS reader since its launch in 2003, so it's great to see that it is stepping up its game with this new release. It went in the obvious, but logical, direction of offering a customized start page, with the feeds you are the most interested in. I've talked before about how the personalized start page market is already very crowded, but Bloglines might have a loyal enough user base and a good enough reputation to make it work here.

First off, this new release allows you to easily create a customized start page by dragging and dropping feeds from your list in Bloglines. It's very smooth and "Ajax-y," and has all the makings of a successful service. It doesn't complicate the matter with various widgets to add to your page, which may be a good thing for some people. It's really easy to use and allows you to quickly reference news, at a glance, that you need to read first.

The addition of the new start page is great, but the real question is: How is Bloglines going to compete with Google Reader? Google Reader surpassed Bloglines as the most used Web-based RSS reader, with ease, when it appeared that Bloglines was not doing much to improve user experience.

Bloglines' latest release brings great new functionality to its core feed-reading experience. In addition to Bloglines' traditional view, which it is now calling "full view," it has two additional feed-reading views called "quick view" and "three-pane view." Quick view is essentially an e-mail-style view of the unread posts in any given feed. Only the titles of the posts and the time that they were posted are presented and you can click on individual posts to read them. The three-pane view is a mix of quick view and full view. The quick view element is on the top half of the page and the full view, on the bottom half, comes into play when you select a post to read.

Bloglines' new 'quick view'

It is great to see that Bloglines is innovating again. I personally switched over to Google Reader when Bloglines started getting a little stale, but this new release is making me rethink that decision. This could be a sign of good things to come for Bloglines in its quest to regain a position of power over Google. We'll have to wait and see, but this is certainly a step in the right direction.

You can also get Richard MacManus' take on this release over at Read/Write Web.