Last week I posted a story about one of the most surprising software omissions from my new Verizon Treo 650 – an Instant Messaging (IM) client. There’s another huge omission in the default Treo 650 software install – an RSS newsreader.
The Treo is tailor made for a good newsreader, it’s a perfect way to keep in touch with all the Web sites that you read each day and you can do it while you’re in line, traveling or otherwise away from a computer. Like anything for the Palm OS there are literally dozens of RSS clients for the Palm OS available.
I’ve chosen QuickNews (US$14.95) for my Treo because it’s an excellent RSS newsreader that works well. QuickNews allows you to set up your feeds individually or import them from an OPML file, which was easy to export from my desktop RSS client NetNewsWire.
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Last week I posted a story about one of the most surprising software omissions from my new Verizon Treo 650 – an Instant Messaging (IM) client. There’s another huge omission in the default Treo 650 software install – an RSS newsreader.
The Treo is tailor made for a good newsreader, it’s a perfect way to keep in touch with all the Web sites that you read each day and you can do it while you’re in line, traveling or otherwise away from a computer. Like anything for the Palm OS there are literally dozens of RSS clients for the Palm OS available.
I’ve chosen QuickNews (US$14.95) for my Treo because it’s an excellent RSS newsreader that works well. QuickNews allows you to set up your feeds individually or import them from an OPML file, which was easy to export from my desktop RSS client NetNewsWire.
What I like about QuickNews most is that it can be navigated 100 percent by the Treo’s 5-way button, very convenient for bouncing around your feeds with one hand. Another great feature is “mitten mode” which is great if you like to walk and read at the same time. Because the winter time is cold in about half of the country (especially up here in the northeast) this mode allows easy navigation of QuickNews with gloves on. Since it’s hard to manipulate the 5-way button with gloves on mitten mode basically uncollapses any articles and sets the space bar to scroll down. When I asked the Ben about the name, he replied “It sounded better than glove mode.”
QuickNews even displays images, but it currently only supports JPEG files. Some feeds also include GIFs and PNG files, which will not display. In addition, there are a few oddly encoded JPEGs that QN has a hard time with. QuickNews also ships with a HotSync conduit that will automatically refresh your subscriptions at each HotSync.
No matter how you slice it QuickNews is the best RSS reader for Treo. Go get yourself a copy, if you’re an RSS junkie, you won’t regret it. QuickNews is an O’Grady PowerPick for 2005.
QuickNews 1.22 features:
– Support for embedded images
– Enhanced navigation options
– Flexible UI
– Attachment support
– Large feed (> 64k) support
– Podcast support and management
– Automatic updates and podcast downloads
– Customizable shortcuts
– Proxy support
– Advanced search capabilities
– Ability to find new feeds by keyword
– Improved OPML import and support
– Support for external storage cards
– Ability to bulk mail flagged articles
– A podcast manager for better podcast browser and management
– Inline image support via direct-to-device downloading
– Basic authentication support for password-protected feeds
– Battery and signal strength icons added
– Improved ATOM support
– Refined UI makes reading and managing feeds a breeze
