Pocket RSS 1.3

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.happyjackroad.com/AtomicDB/pocketpc/pocketRSS/pocketRSS.asp">http://www.happyjackroad.com/AtomicDB/pocketpc/pocketRSS/pocketRSS.asp</a><br /><br />Pocket RSS 1.3 for the Pocket PC was released a few weeks ago and boasts several new features and a new view that consolidates and filters all of your RSS feeds.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20040419-pocketrss1.gif" /><br /><b>Figure 1:</b> New Article Viewer Mode<br /><br />Some of the new features in 1.30 include:<br /><br />• Updated RSS management mode - alpha sorted, group/Sub-group, organization, list font sizing and drag-n-drop organization of sources.<br />• New article viewer mode - alpha/date/priority sorting, read/unread filter and article expiration filtering<br />• Import generic OPML subscription files from FeedDemon, NewsDesk, RSSBandit, SharpReader, etc.<br />• Export PocketRSS sources as OPML subscription<br />• Display of Source/Article dates<br />• Limit number of items per Source on Today Screen<br />• Single or multiple source viewing on Today Screen<br /><br />Pocket RSS has a fully functional 15 day trial. You can buy it from <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore//PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=42989">Handango for $5.00</a> <i>(Affiliate link)</i>. It supports Pocket PC 2002 and 2003 devices. See the forum for a few other screen shots. Now, if only more sites included the full article text in their RSS feed instead of just the headline. :? <!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20040419-pocketrss2.gif" /><br /><b>Figure 2:</b> Synchronizing data<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20040419-pocketrss3.gif" /><br /><b>Figure 3:</b> Settings<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20040419-pocketrss4.gif" /><br /><b>Figure 4:</b> Reading an article

[ctmagnus]

I've been away from my main Internet connection for a few days so I've been connecting via GPRS and keeping up with things via Egress, another RSS viewer.

I :ppclove: RSS.

[rpommier]

Yeah RSS is definitely where it's at... I update my feeds through my phone throughout the day!

[gpspassion]

I looked into RSS, but as you mention in your news item, it's a bit problematic on a PocketPC since you generally get sent to a "WinXP optimized" site when you click on a link...Even without a long summary, a link to a "mobile" version would help!

[darrylb]

I've just purchased Egress (waiting for my code....) Has anyone compared the new version of this to Egress?

They look similar... however, I understand that the old version was not as good.

[mcrobin]

I use Egress too and I like it better than Pocket RSS and I have used them both. One of the really nice things about Egress is support for the 5 way nav. I pretty much only use the 5 way to get around in the RSS feeds that I read. One other note, Karl (Egress Developer) has been awesome at responding to questions and fixes. Just my 2 cents worth.

[darrylb]

One other note, Karl (Egress Developer) has been awesome at responding to questions and fixes. Just my 2 cents worth.

That was one of the compelling reasons for buying it - when I saw his quick fixes in the thread that followed the last PocketRSS front page thread.

[rpommier]

. One other note, Karl (Egress Developer) has been awesome at responding to questions and fixes. Just my 2 cents worth.

Yeah Karl is amazing with updates and that personal touch. He implemented a couple of my suggestions too. I like the interface of Egress more too.

[iPaqDude]

Ok... can someone point me to an "RSS for Dummies" site?
:wink:

[darrylb]

Ok... can someone point me to an "RSS for Dummies" site?
:wink:

Do what I did - download the trial of egress - then it's really easy, it already has some channels added, so you can add your own simply. Most sites point you to their RSS feeds from the front page.

[jrb]

Ed Hansberry wrote:
Now, if only more sites included the full article text in their RSS feed instead of just the headline

Are there examples of sites that do include the full article in a RSS feed? Is this part of one of RSS standards? I would love to see PocketPCThoughts be one of those sites that offers the full article.

[darrylb]

Are there examples of sites that do include the full article in a RSS feed? Is this part of one of RSS standards? I would love to see PocketPCThoughts be one of those sites that offers the full article.

PPCT does offer the full article. As does gizmodo, and most of the others. I've only had limited (read very limited) experience so far, but from what I've seen, its places like the bigger news sites that dont.

[rogben]

Are there examples of sites that do include the full article in a RSS feed? Is this part of one of RSS standards?

Full- vs. partial-content RSS is a long-standing debate. Full-content feeds can be more bandwidth intensive in some situations, and always reduce pageviews for sites that may depend upon advertising or contextual navigation. The big knocks on partial-content are that summaries are seldom hand-crafted or informative, and you can't really take a partial feed offline and get any use from it.

My approach (detailed here (http://support.journurl.com/users/admin/index.cfm?mode=article&entry=907)) is to use a little psychological engineering to push people toward a lightweight, partial-content feed, while still making a full-content feed available for those who really need it. (Like Pocket PC owners.)

[gpspassion]

Wouldn't an intermediate fix be to at least indicate what type of format the link will take you to? It's super annoying to be on your PocketPC and then click on some massive site!

Haven't used RSS for a couple of months so maybe it's changed a bit though.

[iPaqDude]

Ok... can someone point me to an "RSS for Dummies" site?
:wink:

Do what I did - download the trial of egress - then it's really easy, it already has some channels added, so you can add your own simply.

Ummm... why didn't I think of that :oops: .... guess that is where I needed the "dummies" part of the site...

Thanx.

[Steven Cedrone]

Do what I did - download the trial of egress - then it's really easy, it already has some channels added, so you can add your own simply. Most sites point you to their RSS feeds from the front page.

I have some RSS feeds listed at Pocket PC Links... (http://www.pocketpclinks.com)

Steve

[rpommier]

Yahoo has some good RSS feeds...

http://news.yahoo.com/rss/

They have decent summaries and cover just about everything...

Also check out ESPN for sports:

http://nick.typepad.com/blog/2003/12/espn_rss_feeds.html

[Bill Gunn]

IMHO, RSS is a dead end. The internet is about rich content. RSS is analagous to "watching" TV by reading a teletype feed of the closed captioning. The only people I see using RSS are technophiles straining to read their tiny cellphone displays. The Web today is driven by advertising dollars in the same way that television is driven by advertising dollars. RSS is a very poor way to deliver advertising. If people only viewd PPCT content via RSS, I suspect that this site would very quickly disappear.

[rogben]

IMHO, RSS is a dead end. The internet is about rich content.

Bill,

Well, there's your first problem... the Internet isn't about any one thing. :)

Second, RSS can deliver plain-text, HTML, streaming video, BitTorrents, and so on... in short, every kind of content that exists. Only instead of seeking it out in a browser, the content comes to you.

The only people I see using RSS are technophiles straining to read their tiny cellphone displays.

Relatively few people use their phones to get at feeds. (Although that market has great potential.) The vast majority of feeds are currently consumed by desktop aggregators like FeedDemon, NetNewsWire, Newsgator, and Newzcrawler, server-based aggregators like Bloglines, and portal services like MyYahoo.

Which isn't to suggest that RSS has already won the day... the client apps need to get better, and early adopters will eventually have to accept advertising in what was formerly an ad-free space. But most of the major media entities are dipping their toes into syndication, Microsoft is looking to roll it into Longhorn, and major Web powers like Yahoo are driving adoption at an amazing rate. The momentum is entirely in one direction.

[rpommier]

IMHO, RSS is a dead end. The internet is about rich content. RSS is analagous to "watching" TV by reading a teletype feed of the closed captioning. The only people I see using RSS are technophiles straining to read their tiny cellphone displays. The Web today is driven by advertising dollars in the same way that television is driven by advertising dollars. RSS is a very poor way to deliver advertising. If people only viewd PPCT content via RSS, I suspect that this site would very quickly disappear.

I couldn't disagree more. If you are a marketing type then I can see why you have that view. I hope to never see the day when I get pop-ups and flash content through a feed. RSS is a time saver, what could be better than customized up to date content? Avantgo was once this way, now it's so bloated it's useless, not to mention that long pause everytime it loads up its ad of the day...

RSS is wonderful, I get the updates I want when I want them. If I want to visit the site it's up to me to do so. See RSS is what it is, a simple way to get published information. If you want rich content, then use a browser. And please don't get me started on your statement on internet being about rich content. That's bull, that's what Time Warner, Microsoft and company want you to believe.

[darrylb]

IMHO, RSS is a dead end. The internet is about rich content. RSS is analagous to "watching" TV by reading a teletype feed of the closed captioning. The only people I see using RSS are technophiles straining to read their tiny cellphone displays. The Web today is driven by advertising dollars in the same way that television is driven by advertising dollars. RSS is a very poor way to deliver advertising. If people only viewd PPCT content via RSS, I suspect that this site would very quickly disappear.

Frankly, this is the sort of comment I'd expect from someone who has never used RSS before. I dont know if you have or not, but you cant truely appreciate it until you try it.

[rpommier]

Karl is at it again :D

Another update v1.3.1 8O

[ctmagnus]

8O

I'd think this would be at least version 1.4.

Karl rawks!