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Google has produced more than a couple Android apps over the last two years with Listen, Scoreboard, and Sky Map among its most notable titles. Yet, there has been one app people have been clamoring for since the T-Mobile G1 debuted: Google Reader. Sure, we’ve always had a mobile optimized site available to use, but nothing beats a good native client. And earlier this week, Google finally released a Reader app.
Reader is not just a simple port of the Web experience since it adds some nifty features you don’t get from the browser–take multiple account support, for instance. The first time users open the app, they’re greeted with the option to use existing Google accounts found on the device or include additional accounts. Long pressing on a folder or subscription brings up menus for options like renaming feeds, unsubscribing, and more.
When reading an article within Reader, one can tap the menu button to send or share the post with third-party apps found on the phone. This is especially handy if you want to e-mail or text a link to someone else. I’ve already found myself sharing items with Evernote on my phone so that I can come back to them or look things up later.
Similar to the desktop experience, Reader provides basic functionality in sharing, liking, and starring. One of the best features, in my opinion, is the way it syncs up my read and unread counts. I tend to keep a tab open on my Web browser with constant updates coming at me. It’s very convenient to get up and access my feeds from the phone and not backtrack through articles I’ve seen already. Another handy option is the capability to search for and subscribe to new feeds directly from the handset. If there was one glaring omission out of this release, it’s a widget. Here’s to a swift update!
Like pretty much anything Google does, this app is free and can be found in the Android Market.
