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Google Closing the Book on Reader

You may have heard the news over the last couple of weeks that Google Reader is going away. Despite its devoted following, the blog/article/news aggregator will soon be sunset on July 1, 2013. So what are Reader enthusiasts to do in the wake of this announcement? Various sites and apps have stepped up across the internet to offer up quality alternatives.

You may have heard the news over the last couple of weeks that Google Reader is going away. Despite its devoted following, the blog/article/news Google Readeraggregator will soon be sunset on July 1, 2013. So what are Reader enthusiasts to do in the wake of this announcement? Various sites and apps have stepped up across the internet to offer up quality alternatives. Some of these options include:

  • Newsblur – Probably the closest in look and feel to Reader, this reader is known for its sleekness and speed. The biggest downside? Only the first 12 sites you choose to follow are free. After that, you have to pay a subscription starting at $24 a year.
  • The old Reader – Google Reader fans may find solace with this familiar alternative. The site is what you would have seen before Reader underwent its major redesign, which is both a good and bad thing. On the one hand, it still holds many of the features that made the aggregator popular with the online crowd. On the other hand, it still has the limitations that pushed Google to redesign it…the lack of mobile friendliness being the biggest detractor.
  • Netvibes – Maybe the most promising option thus far, this RSS client’s free version offers almost all of the same features as Google Reader and the paid version offers impressive analytic tools. Its biggest con is lack of user support forums.