A long, long time ago, in the year 2005, top search company opened up yet another branch of its network to include Google Reader, which is basically a one-stop shop for all your RSS feed needs. One neat thing about Google Reader is that Google smartly incorporated Google Gears, a browser extension that allows users to access their RSS feeds offline. So users can have really really simple syndication for their feeds.
After two years of beta testing, Google launched the full version of the platform, and since then, it has undergone several redesigns to facilitate new tools and deliver a streamlined interface current with the times.
The latest Google Reader redesign unfolded just over a month ago, but already Google has announced in the Reader Blog it's been tinkering and tweaking the RSS platform, "tying up loose ends" and adding new features. According to the blog post, the Google Reader team has been working on:
- Improvements to our rich mobile interface for iPhone, Android and other browsers, including a more compact page header, visual alignment tweaks and a faster loading time.
- Links on the home page giving you easy access to your recently read and kept unread items.
- Fixes for some "stuck" unread count issues.
- Better handling of feeds and items with malformed URLs.
- Less flickering when using the "Share with note" bookmark.
- Fixing of errors when deleting lots of tags and folders.
- Removal of extra image and backend requests, resulting in slightly faster loading times.
As per usual, Google is interested in comments, questions and feedback in general from users. Are you avid RSS subscriber? Do you use Google Reader on a regular basis? Send your 411 straight to the source.
Google recently joined Twitter, so you can send a tiny "Tweet" to "@googlereader" with your feedback on the new changes.
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