iPad read it later pro

[scottjl]

for anyone out there like me who uses read it later, the ipad version (actually a universal binary) has finally been accepted (after being rejected by apple twice) and available from the store. it's a free upgrade too.

also want to mention the free version of read it later was also updated.

[scottjl]

http://readitlaterlist.com/blog/2010...ntrol-on-ipad/

now that's a slick way of implementing a brightness control. i hope other apps steal the idea.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by scottjl

http://readitlaterlist.com/blog/2010...ntrol-on-ipad/

now that's a slick way of implementing a brightness control. i hope other apps steal the idea.

I like Stanza's brightness control. It's invisible anywhere in your book. Just slide up or down on the right side of the screen. Might be customizable beyond that, but I love it as-is. It's the least distracting brightness control I've found. B&N's brightness setting is the worst I've seen (hafta set it as part of a "theme").

[stustaff]

RIL is something I have never got, also RSS readers anyone care to explain the point why I wouldn't just visit the relevant website!?

ICab has the ability to paste a page into Instapaper, but why is that better than just creating a bookmark?

Ta

[scottjl]

RIL is something I use to.. read it later. I don't bother to save a bookmark to a single article I am going to read and then discard. RIL also downloads the web pages into the app, so I can easily read them when I don't have an internet connection. A few web-browsers have this ability as well, but RIL is more convenient. Also lets me organize my articles to read. Plus, RIL (and it's competitor, Instapaper) are supported in a number of non-web-browser apps, such as many RSS feeds, twitter clients, etc. So I can scan headlines in NewsRack, and single out articles to RIL, launch the RIL app, it will pull down all the web pages, then read the whole collection off-line.

I generally save my bookmarks for web sites that I frequently revisit and don't want to retype a long URL to reach. I don't have a bookmark for gmail.com, but I do for my link right into this Apple forum: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=170. I also don't want to clutter up my bookmarks, constantly adding and deleting links, I keep them pretty well organized and synced across my different devices.

RSS readers, well. Play around with a collection of RSS feeds in something like Google Reader. It allows you to quickly scan headers, and some times preview text and graphics, and find articles that really only interest you. No need to browse through a whole web site. Even better when you're dealing with 20 or 50 web sites. Far faster to read the headlines.

Using either is really a personal choice, does it fit into your "workflow" on how you do things.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by stustaff

RIL is something I have never got, also RSS readers anyone care to explain the point why I wouldn't just visit the relevant website!?

Because you can't always visit the website afterwards. Like when you have no connection, or when the article isn't available anymore. And because you don't want to clutter your bookmark bar.

As for RSS. it's faster to have all the new articles brought to you, digested and categorized. So you can scan through them quickly, without visiting one website, page after page.
With google reader I can categorize (tech, games, books, pictures, just for laughs, etc) and manage new and read articles. I also put the articles through yahoo pipes, allowing me to filter out double articles or articles on subjects I'm not interested in (like article on phones or mobile network carriers).

I have over 100 feeds I follow. Daily that'd be around 500-1000 articles/posts. I scan through them quickly with a RSS-app like mobileRSS. Articles I find interesting, I'll add to delicious or readitlater. Articles I find funny or interesting to share, I can email it instantly, or just add to my own sharelist-rss.

Because using google reader, it's possible to continue where I've left off on multiple devices. I can start on the ipad in the morning, continue on an iphone on the road, and wrapping up with a desktop browser.

[stustaff]

Thanks guys when I tried rss though I found I just got a title and not the article or just a link to the page, 2 good examples where engadget and penny arcade, it seemed a completely pointless exercise.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by stustaff

Thanks guys when I tried rss though I found I just got a title and not the article or just a link to the page, 2 good examples where engadget and penny arcade, it seemed a completely pointless exercise.

Strange.... Engadget has a full feed. Are you sure you're using a rss-reader and not a rss-ticker?this is what you should be seeing, the whole articles with images, sans comments.

http://www.engadget.com/rss.xml

[scottjl]

depends on the app you're using and the feed. some will give only a title that you need to follow, some will give a summary, or some the first paragraph. graphics are more hit and miss, some readers work fine with daily comics and display the image, some you have to follow anyway.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by stustaff

RIL is something I have never got, also RSS readers anyone care to explain the point why I wouldn't just visit the relevant website!?

It's the final "S" in RSS that's the key to it - "Syndication". It would indeed be pointless to use RSS for only one site. Where it becomes useful is when you want to follow material on a dozen sites. RSS brings it all to you, rather than you having to visit all those sites to see what's new.