Now that everyone is looking for an RSS aggregator to replace the outgoing Google Reader, there’s been a host of articles published on the best services that you can migrate to.
Aside from the usual suspects that everyone is talking about (Feedly, The Old Reader, and Newsblur), we wanted to showcase three lesser known alternatives: Good Noows, Protopage, and Rolio. All three can import your OPML file from Google Reader, and all three are worth looking into.
Good Noows
A solid online RSS aggregator that offers a wide range of reading layouts: Pinterest pinboard style, magazine and newspaper layouts, to name a few.
You can customize Good Noows to display your feeds across 12 different layouts at the time of this writing (see the screenshot below). The one criticism I have: Good Noows does not offer mobile apps at the moment, although it can be accessed in the browser.
Protopage
Displays RSS feeds as desktop-style widgets in an online, tabbed interface. Protopage is designed to work as a browser start page and is similar to Bloglines and Pageflakes but of the three it is my favorite. Your RSS ‘widgets; can display individual links, summaries, or thumbnails etc. and videos and audio podcasts can be played right on the widgets themselves. I also like the organization via tabs. You can set up multiple tabbed desktops and decide whether to share them publicly or keep private.
Protopage allows for other kinds of widgets as well (stock, weather, Twitter, Facebook and the like). It provides a different experience than most RSS aggregators, one that is much more immediate and accessible. The bird’s-eye-view can be an excellent antidote to the kind of information overload that can sometimes be a feature of ‘typical’ RSS aggregators.
The cons: Importing your OPML can be somewhat of a hassle, as each widget is created separately; no mobile apps are currently available.
Rolio
A simple online RSS aggregator that provides a nice reading experience without overwhelming with features. Rolio provdes a ‘river of news’ reading experience for all feeds collectively or for individual groups that you set up. It’s the kind of reader that you might want to consider if you seek a fairly straightforward, almost minimalistic reading experience.
Rolio looks great on a device (via the browser), and mobile apps are coming soon.
Cons: something else I wished for was the automatic creation of ‘Groups’ when importing the OPML file based on Google Reader categories.
Do you know of other little known online RSS aggregators that deserve more publicity? Share them in the comments section below.
