Feedly Pinch-Hits for Google Reader

If you are a user of the popular Google Reader, then you have by now received the memo from Google about their plans to discontinue this service on July 1, 2013. Google’s reasoning for jettisoning their reader is so they can focus on fewer products. What’s a Google Reader user to do? Feedly is a great alternative that’s worth checking out.

Since Google’s announcement of their plans to end Google Reader, there has been an exodus of over 3 million Google refugees over to the greener pastures of Feedly. The consensus on Feedly from former Google Reader users is overall positive. In fact, many users new to Feedly are even touting that Feedly is a superior product. Feedly has also enacted measures so that switching is easy thanks to a quick authorization process. Here are three Feedly features that are receiving the most compliments from the former Google faithful.

Improved Design

One of the first things that a former Google Reader user will notice is that Feedly looks different. Whereas Google designed its reader to match the rest of its apps, Feedly uses more color and more pictures in order to give it a modern magazine-like appearance. Feedly’s layout can also be customized for easy navigation by new users.

A Concealed Subscription List

Google Reader users are used to having their subscription list continually displayed. Feedly sees this as a waste of space and has chosen instead to hide the list in order to make room for more text and images. To access the subscription list in Feedly, users will hover over an icon at the upper-left corner. The list will then drop down for your viewing pleasure. There is another hidden menu that will allow users to save an article to be read later; this is done by transferring the article to a storage app like Instapaper, Evernote, and Pocket.

Feedly On-the-Go

You can also download Feedly for your Android and iOS mobile device. To compensate for the small screen, Feedly mobile has a few different views that you can use. If you prefer what you are used to seeing on your desktop, then you can use Magazine and List view, but to get the most out of Feedly mobile, you will want to try the Cards view. With Cards view, the article will be displayed like a magazine cover; the picture fills the entire screen with the title prominently displayed. To skip to the next article, you would then give your device a swipe and the next cover image and title will be displayed. When you find an article that you want to read, click on it and the article will open in the Feedly mobile app, instead of the web browser. The app will automatically format the article so that it will better fit your small mobile device screen.

Feedly is the most popular alternative to Google Reader, but if Feedly does not suit your reading needs, then there are other reader applications that you can check out. If you know of any other reading apps that make for a good alternative to Google Reader, then feel free to share with all the other soon-to-be evicted Google Reader users in the comments.