NewsGator is a free online RSS reader that offers consolidated viewing of your favorite feeds, Web 2.0 drag-and-drop navigation, and the ability to tag and save article clippings. While not as feature rich as other RSS readers, NewsGator makes up for it by having a simplified easy-to-use interface.
NewsGator is great for beginners or those who do not need a lot in their RSS reader.
Pros
- Simplified interface makes navigation easy
- Drag-and-drop functionality makes organizing your feeds a snap
- Consolidate multiple feeds by grouping them together
Cons
- Not as feature rich as other RSS readers
Features
- Feeds can be consolidated into groups and viewed by feed or by most recent articles
- Save your favorite articles as clips and share them with friends
- Toolbar for Internet Explorer and Firefox makes adding feeds even easier
NewsGator- Whats To Like
Perhaps the best feature about NewsGator is that there aren't a lot of features. It provides the basics -- and just the basics -- of an RSS reader. What's good about that? Ease of use. Because there aren't a lot of features, those non-existent features aren't crowding up the screen trying to get you to use them. What you get instead is an RSS reader that is very easy to use.
The drag and drop capability for the folder items is also very nice. It makes it easy to organize your feeds into different groups.
Another nice thing is that groups can be viewed by the most recent articles, which means a group can act as a consolidated feed. This is great if you want to add multiple feeds on the same subject and quickly get at the new articles.
NewsGator- What's Not To Like
There aren't a lot of features. Even though this is listed under things to like, it also must be added to things not to like. After all, if one of those missing features is something you prefer in an RSS reader, it is definitely a negative.
There isn't a lot of options on how to display the feeds as is found in other readers. The entire experience is no-thrills, which can be great for those just getting into RSS feeds, but can also be limiting to those that have been reading feeds for years.
NewsGator- The Bottom Line
NewsGator is a very good place to start if you are new to RSS feeds, or if you aren't interested in an RSS reader with a lot of bells and whistles. It doesn't do a lot, but what it does do, it does well.
