Review: Slick RSS Chrome works best as a second news reader - ramosbuttle

At a Glance

Expert's Valuation

Cons

Doesn't support keyboard shortcuts

Our Verdict

Slick RSS is not a front-close to an online feed reader, but a complete RSS client built into Google Chrome.

If you like to perpetually check for new subject matter on your favorite sites, you may have chance on RSS earlier. RSS, which stands for either Rich Site Summary or Real Three-needled Syndication, is a simple way for a web site to post updates, and for you to grow those updates all at in one case using a reader program. The best-known RSS reader is Google Reader, a free product that lives in the cloud and has many powerful features for classification and organizing multiple RSS feeds. I've been a loyal Google Reader substance abuser for years, but I've recently decided to trim down my enormous list of feeds and revolve about upright a few essentials. Instead of outright deleting the feeds I read less often, I've moved them over to Slick RSS, a free feed lector that works as an extension service in Google Chrome.

Slick RSS's most luminary feature is the fact that it is entirely self-contained. It is non a front-end to a web-supported RSS reader, and does not synchronize with whatsoever online military service. Or else, information technology is a full-fledged reader, entirely enforced As a browser extension. IT can import an OPML file with a list of feeds, or you can render it with individual prey URLs. It took just a few seconds to import my OPML data file (which holds the list of RSS feeds I subscribe to), containing over 120 feeds.

By default, Slick RSS shows eat happy using a two-column layout, but this can be easy changed.

Erstwhile you subscribe to feeds, Slick RSS testament stop for any new items along each feed, download them, and show an Uninformed Item count out along its toolbar image whenever you gaping the browser. Next, it's recital time. Glib RSS has a very simple port, which lacks many of the convenience features Google Reader has. The biggest affair missing are keyboard shortcuts: There is no right smart to quickly skip to the future post inside a feed. There isn't justified an on-screen "next" button—you fair-minded need to keep scrolling pour down until you get to the next post.

On a more positive note, Slick RSS features an fascinating two-column default layout. Instead of showing equitable a single post at a meter, the display looks more like a newspaper. This is configurable, so you can have anyplace from one to four columns on the screen at any time.

Another feature article that's sorely lost is dynamically mark items as say: When you scroll past an particular in Google Reader, it is mechanically marked as read. Slick RSS doesn't do this. Instead, IT can mark the entire feed every bit study once some time has elapsed, or once you click the title for a single C. W. Post to attend the post on the website. Neither of these options is useful: Some feeds take a few seconds to translate, while others can take twenty proceedings. And just because I clicked one link doesn't mean I'm done with the entire feed.

Tricksy RSS keeps its Options dialogue apiculate, with just a handful of preferences for you to pull off.

Slick RSS does net ball you keep items for later reading, victimization a star icon set in each item's header row. Upright click the hotshot, and the item is added to your Read Later number. This is similar to Google Lecturer's Starred Items view, and is utilizable for cherry-picking items to read later.

While I don't see myself switch over to Cunning RSS regular, it tooshie serve as a simple secondary reader for feeds I don't want cluttering up Google Reader. It is a lean, minimalistic browser extension that lacks comfort features, but does get the basic functionality (reading RSS feeds) right. With additional customization options, it whitethorn stand a chance as a viable Google Reader disjunctive. As it is now, in that location's no reason differently individualized taste to recommend Slick RSS over the mature and burly Google Reader.

Note: The "Try IT for free" button on the Product Information page takes you to the Chromium-plate World Wide Web store, where you derriere install the current version directly into your Chrome browser.