Ilium Releases NewsBreak For The Pocket PC

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/nw/newsbreak.htm">http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/nw/newsbreak.htm</a><br /><br />Ilium Software, the company that has brought you popular software titles like eWallet and ListPro has just released NewsBreak 1.0. Basically, it is an RSS client, but it is one of the smoothest and most feature rich for the Pocket PC that I've seen. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20041026-newsbreak.gif" /><br /><br />Features include:<br /><br />• Scheduled updates or update whenever a network connection is noticed<br />• Watches for keywords can be set<br />• Notifications for new posts or just new items that match your keyword watches<br />• One tap ability to email URLs to others<br />• Categorize channels<br />• Import and Export of OPML<br /><br />The application itself takes approximately 450K on the device and runs from a storage card. Obviously it will need additional room for channels, but RSS feeds are generally very small. It is $14.99 and there is a fully functional 30 day trial available.

[Phillip Dyson]

In installed the trial and within 5 minutes removed it.
Aside from the one time oppurtunity to import OPML files at the initial start up, I could not find a way to do it.

I'm currently using Egress, and with a few items of quirkiness, I like it. This one doesn't seem to have a Today plugin either.

Looks like it has potential though.

[GadgetMan]

In installed the trial and within 5 minutes removed it.
Aside from the one time oppurtunity to import OPML files at the initial start up, I could not find a way to do it.

Huh? New Channel Wizard allows you to add new channels in four different ways:

- Choose from a list of known Channels,
- Search online for Channels,
- Import from a file or URL (OPML).
- I know the Channel's URL (RSS).

All you have to do to add a channel is tap on New button.

Cheers,

[Ilium Software]

In installed the trial and within 5 minutes removed it.
Aside from the one time oppurtunity to import OPML files at the initial start up, I could not find a way to do it.

[...]


Thank you for trying NewsBreak.

To add a new channel, tap the New menu button at the list of Channels.

This will take you to a wizard that gives you many options for adding new channels. You can enter the URL, import from OPML either on line or from storage, and we also include support for searching a database of channels.

[Phillip Dyson]

Okay, I'm a boob.

My new button had the sub-menu that gave me tasks and appointments.
I didn't even bother clicking directly on the new button itself.

No slander intended. I'll give it another look.
:oops:

[Jacob]

I'll have to take a look at this when I get home (would rather not install stuff at work)

I have eWallet, ListPro... I'm too much of an Illium fanboy. :P

[GadgetMan]

I just intstalled the trial version (I also own eWallet & ListPro, so I just had to try Ilium's new offering). Installation to iPaq File Store was without any problem.

I then imported and manually created about 30 channels in several categories. Since I am at the office, the only way to get the channels from the web was through ActiveSync pass through. Although this is the very slow way of accessing the Internet when compared to my usual Wi-Fi access method, I must say that I was impressed with the speed in which NewsBreak updated all these feeds. I can only imagine how fast it will be through Wi-Fi and high speed Internet at home :D

One thing I like a lot is the fact that all channel data get stored in the program's subfolder, which in my case means iPaq File Store. This means I do not have to sacrifice precious RAM for feed cache.

The interface is very efficient and nice looking, which is to be expected from Ilium after such fantastic products like eWallet and ListPro. It works perfectly in both portrait and landscape orientation on my iPaq hx4700 with VGA screen. It also must be VGA aware, since all fonts are very sharp and clear.

The only minor complaint I have is the font size in the feed list view. It is definitively too big for my taste (it almost looks like a "large print edition" of File Explorer). I would welcome an ability to set font sizes to my own taste.

Overall this is definitively a keeper!

Cheers,

[Marcel_Proust]

great little program missing only a today plug in to jump over Egress.
the search capabalities are very conveinient.

[buzzard]

Finally, RSS for the lazy....excellent program.

[tzirbel]

Another great app I now can't live without. Added Newsbreak to ewallet and listpro as apps I must own no matter what.

[garishkernels]

great little program missing only a today plug in to jump over Egress.
the search capabalities are very conveinient.

Just curious, what specifically do you find as an improvement over Egress?

-Karl

[Jereboam]

Don't forget the $7 off any Ilium application PPCT subscribers coupon. It makes this a genuine bargain...

J'bm

[juni]

What I would like is a today plugin (one where you could modify the images yourself). I stopped using PocketRSS since the arrows were too ugly for my screen (maybe I'm too picky :D)

[Phillip Dyson]

great little program missing only a today plug in to jump over Egress.
the search capabalities are very conveinient.

Just curious, what specifically do you find as an improvement over Egress?

-Karl

The main thing for me is the fact that it works with some URLs that I could not get to work in egress.It does seem a bit more polished.

However, Egress's today plugin and tree view are preferable to me. I also like Egress' one handed navigation.

[Jereboam]

What I would like is a today plugin (one where you could modify the images yourself). I stopped using PocketRSS since the arrows were too ugly for my screen (maybe I'm too picky :D)

No me too...I'm hoping they offer either skinning or at least an enhanced GUI in version 2.

J'bm

[JoshB]

I want to love this - it looks like the nicest RSS reader for the Pocket PC yet.

But I just can't stop using the mobile version of Bloglines:

www.bloglines.com/mobile

I use Bloglines as my RSS aggregator (in Firefox) as my main method of consuming web content. I currently have about 330 feed subs, and this accounts for 95% of my web consumption.

The great thing about the mobile version of Bloglines is that items I have read in the desktop version don't show up as new in the mobile version, and vice versa. Everything stays in sync, and it's awesome.

For those that aren't familiar with Bloglines, it's a free web-based aggregator. Full featured, use it on any computer (or mobile device), import/export OPML, add your subscriptions as a blogroll of your site, etc. Highly recommended.

[Marcel_Proust]

great little program missing only a today plug in to jump over Egress.
the search capabalities are very conveinient.

Just curious, what specifically do you find as an improvement over Egress?

-Karl

ability to search for rss feeds keywords and add them automatically. good for the lazy!

[muaddip]

I tired the demo and it is not bad. The setup wizard is neat, and makes things easier, but other then that it really does not have anything else on Egress.

Egress can/has:

* Today plug-in, not the greatest, but good enough.
* Ability to display images in the feed, nice from me maybe not others.
* I personally like the feed tree and display better, it is too messy in Newsbreak with the categories and reminds me too much of the horrid MS file open display. :P
* Adjustable fonts and colors.
* User definable storage area, you can have Egress installed in main memory, but have the feed saved to your storage cards. Similar to Newsbreak, but it is even more customizable in Egress.
* I actually have two different sets of feeds, one for work and one for home, don't ask. :wink: With Egress, I can go in the settings, change the catalog path, and then refresh the data. I love that ability.

Those are just to list a few things that pop into my mind.

I am sorry if it sounds like I am bashing Newsbreak, I am not, I think it has a lot of potential, but Egress is still number one in my mind. You do have a nice piece of software there Illium, I use ListPro everyday and have always been impressed with your programs.

[VanHlebar]

I really like this idea, but this one doesn't seem to go far enough either. All of the ppc feed readers that I have tried stop short. To me the whole point of the feed reader is so that I do not have to goto the site. I understand that this would cause the storage size to increase, but it is much more convient to read the articles off-line than to have to make sure I am connected everytime I want to read my news feeds. I should be able to read the entire article from my ppc without having to load PIE.

With that being said, if I have to load the article in a browser to read it, then I should at least be able to specify which browser I want to use. Not everyone uses PIE and it would be nice to have a choice, like NetFront or some of the other PIE replacements.

Is there some whay to specify where the rss feed data gets stored? I have the app installed to Built-in memory, but want to store my feed data in my data directory on my SD card, is this possible?

I like the app, I just wish it would maybe give me an option to get the entire article or maybe to specify a size limit that I want to download. Hopefully in the next release. :D

-Eric

[Ed Hansberry]

I like the app, I just wish it would maybe give me an option to get the entire article or maybe to specify a size limit that I want to download. Hopefully in the next release. :D
Not possible. Look at the raw RSS code. Go to the CNet code for example. http://news.com.com/2547-1_3-0-5.xml

RSS readers can only get 100% of what is there. They can't start spidering links and trying to figure out what the real article is. You'd get adds, offsite stuff, blech. It is up to the content provider to provide the full text, and some do. Most just do teasers so you will go to their site and see the advertising.

[ChristopherTD]

But NewsBreak seems to truncate items to roughly a page and then displays the "Read More Online" link even when the whole article is available. This makes offline reading pretty useless.

I can see the whole text of articles in FeedDemon, but NewsBreak chops them off.

[VanHlebar]

Ed,

I have to disagree to a point. I use IntraVnews on my desktop to get all of my rss feeds. On the desktop, each and every feed that I get contains the entire article. That includes those from here, PocketNow, Aximsite, ESPN and some others.

When I get the same feeds via NewBreak as Chris just said, it seems to stop the article at just a single page and then forces me to goto the website.

I agree that if the content provider doesn't provide the entire article then there isn't anything that NewBreak can do about it. However, if the entire article is provided, why not give us an option to read the entire article off-line? It just makes more sense to me that way.

-Eric

[Ed Hansberry]

But NewsBreak seems to truncate items to roughly a page and then displays the "Read More Online" link even when the whole article is available. This makes offline reading pretty useless.

I can see the whole text of articles in FeedDemon, but NewsBreak chops them off.
Ahhh... interesting. I've not seen that. I'll have to pay closer attention. Thanks.

[Ilium Software]

But NewsBreak seems to truncate items to roughly a page and then displays the "Read More Online" link even when the whole article is available. This makes offline reading pretty useless.

I can see the whole text of articles in FeedDemon, but NewsBreak chops them off.

Thank you for trying NewsBreak.
NewsBreak shows 100% of the feed. Some sites publish much more than others. If I view a feed like CNet in a web browser, I can see it's the publisher of the feed who is truncating the content, not NewsBreak.
Some desktop apps may scrape content to get more info. I don't think we would ever do that.
A more elegant solution that someone brought up would be to have the conent optionally cached. That's not in the current product, but it is a great idea that we should consider in the future.

[ChristopherTD]

I can see where the two differ

FeedDemon seems to be looking in the content:encoded section as well as the description section.

In an example feed the description section contains the text that NewsBreak shows and content:encoded contains the whole article. This is from a default TypePad XML page.

[Ilium Software]

I can see where the two differ

FeedDemon seems to be looking in the content:encoded section as well as the description section.

In an example feed the description section contains the text that NewsBreak shows and content:encoded contains the whole article. This is from a default TypePad XML page.

Thank you for trying NewsBreak.
NewsBreak does use the content:encoded section. For example, try out

http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/index.rdf

The description has the shortened info, but NewsBreak shows the content:encoded section in its entirety.

[GadgetMan]

I installed NewsBreak to iPaq File Store on my iPaq hx4700 and added 36 feeds. Then I tried to update them all via Wi-Fi and high speed internet modem at home. Oh, boy, did it take forever! I gave up after 15 minutes...

I then uninstalled the program and re-installed it to SD card (512 MB SanDisk). This time it took approx. 5 min. to update all 36 feeds. Significantly better, but still too long for practical use.

Today I uninstalled it and reinstalled to RAM. Once I get home from the office I will try again over Wi-Fi. If it gets down to no more than 1 min. I may yet purchase this product. Although it is very annoying that I need to waste precious RAM to make it work at acceptable speed.

Also, now I know why my initial test (posted above) over ActiveSync seemed fast - I was doing one category at a time, i.e. no more than 5-6 feeds.

Cheers,

[ChristopherTD]

NewsBreak does use the content:encoded section. For example, try out

http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/index.rdf

The description has the shortened info, but NewsBreak shows the content:encoded section in its entirety.

Curious - the feed below shows up in NewsBreak as only the shortened section, yet it looks identical to the one above (which does work):

http://td.typepad.com/treeweaselweekly/index.rdf

Any ideas?

Thanks
Christopher

[GadgetMan]

As promised above, I run a test at home through Wi-Fi and high speed internet modem (3 Mbps connection) last night. This with NewsBreak installed into RAM and 36 feeds specified.

I noticed it before, but finally confirmed it last night: NewsBreak will not pull any feed unless I first open Pocket Internet Explorer and open a web page (any page) in it. Only then NewsBreak will start actually updating the feeds. Other RSS applications I tested did not require prior use of Pocket IE.

Unfortunately, even with the program installed in RAM it is painfully slow to update. The other RSS applications were able to update all 36 feeds it in less than 2 minutes. NewsBreak seems to take 2 minutes per each feed :(

This is very disappointing to me, since I really like the feature set and GUI design of NewsBreak. I also have been using eWallet and ListPro for years, so it could have been a nice addition to my Ilium software collection. Alas, it is not ment to be :cry:

I will follow future development of this program though and will definitvely buy it as soon as feed update speed becomes usable to me. And if I do not have to open Pocket IE first every time I want to update the feeds.

Cheers,

[VanHlebar]

I am currently running NewsBreak on my Dell Axim X30 installed in Built-in Storage and I am not having any speed issues. I only have about 10 feeds or so, but they seem to download the feeds fairly quickly over my wifi connection at home and in the office.

I don't use PIE at all, well unless I click on the link inside a feed in NewBreak, but that is only after I have already downloaded the feeds, so I don't have that issue either.

Could there be something else that you have installed that is messing with NewsBreak?

-Eric

[GadgetMan]

Could there be something else that you have installed that is messing with NewsBreak?

-Eric

Hmm, I have not installed anything new for a while, and another other RSS appliction keeps running as fast as always (infintely faster than NewsBreak).

Maybe it is iPaq hx4700 issue? A lot of applications that work perfect on other Pocket PCs have been reported to work weird or not at all on hx4700...

Cheers,

[ctmagnus]

Unfortunately, even with the program installed in RAM it is painfully slow to update. The other RSS applications were able to update all 36 feeds it in less than 2 minutes. NewsBreak seems to take 2 minutes per each feed :(

I have a similar issue (not two minutes per feed though) with Egress on an iPaq 5550. I have it installed to RAM and the opml file is in \iPaq File Store. It just seems like the updates should be faster, considering the wee amount of data that each channel brings down and I only have around ten feeds occupying no more than 60kB total after a full refresh.

[garishkernels]

Unfortunately, even with the program installed in RAM it is painfully slow to update. The other RSS applications were able to update all 36 feeds it in less than 2 minutes. NewsBreak seems to take 2 minutes per each feed :(

I have a similar issue (not two minutes per feed though) with Egress on an iPaq 5550. I have it installed to RAM and the opml file is in \iPaq File Store. It just seems like the updates should be faster, considering the wee amount of data that each channel brings down and I only have around ten feeds occupying no more than 60kB total after a full refresh.

Quick question, when you are updating your feeds are you using a wireless connection or the ActiveSync passthrough? Also, what version of Egress are you using?

-Karl

[ctmagnus]

Quick question, when you are updating your feeds are you using a wireless connection or the ActiveSync passthrough? Also, what version of Egress are you using?

-Karl

iirc, it's been that way through AS, Wifi and GPRS. Of course GPRS was a bit slower ;). And it's been on every version I've used, which is most of them since the beginning of April.

While I've got your attention, is there any way to get the cab file or desktop installer for Egress 1.4.0 (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33838)? I'm rebuilding my device and I found that that version works perfectly for the Today plugin order, along with a few other plugins that need to be installed from older versions of the cab files then upgraded to the latest version to keep my preferred order.

[VanHlebar]

The only other thing that I find that Newsbreak and all the other ppc new feed readers are missing is a desktop companion. I would love to have a desktop companion that would keep my ppc synced so that if I don't read something on the desktop, the ppc will have it marked as not read or vise versa.

I really like the layout and feel of Newsbreak. Just add the caching of the entire feed option, give me an option to use something other than PIE as the actual reader for long articles and possibly a desktop companion, and man I would be a happy camper! :clap:

I don't think I am asking for too much for the 1.1 release am I :lol:

-Eric

[ctmagnus]

The only other thing that I find that Newsbreak and all the other ppc new feed readers are missing is a desktop companion. I would love to have a desktop companion that would keep my ppc synced so that if I don't read something on the desktop, the ppc will have it marked as not read or vise versa.

Apparently NewsGator (http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/default.aspx) works quite well for that.

[Ilium Software]

NewsBreak does use the content:encoded section. For example, try out

http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/index.rdf

The description has the shortened info, but NewsBreak shows the content:encoded section in its entirety.

Curious - the feed below shows up in NewsBreak as only the shortened section, yet it looks identical to the one above (which does work):

http://td.typepad.com/treeweaselweekly/index.rdf

Any ideas?

Thanks
Christopher

Thank you for pointing this out.
I believe we found the difference.
There are two feeds available for the Tree Weasel Weekly blog. One is an ATOM feed, and one is a RSS 1.0 feed.
We support content-encoded in RSS 1.0. The ATOM feed is doing something slightly different.
I believe that if you change your RSS feed to http://td.typepad.com/treeweaselweekly/index.rdf
rather than the ATOM feed, you will get the complete summary.

This has been logged and entered into our bug database.

Thanks again.

[ctmagnus]

Yay Egress!

Excellent customer service!

[isomaniac]

In installed the trial and within 5 minutes removed it.
Aside from the one time oppurtunity to import OPML files at the initial start up, I could not find a way to do it.

[...]


Thank you for trying NewsBreak.

To add a new channel, tap the New menu button at the list of Channels.

This will take you to a wizard that gives you many options for adding new channels. You can enter the URL, import from OPML either on line or from storage, and we also include support for searching a database of channels.

I LOVE eWallet and so I expect premium quality for NewsBreak. Just installed and trying it out.

One question, I installed it on the SD Card but I found no option inside the software to set WHERE to put the storage/enslosures. Is it default to put the storage/enclosures in the SAME locaiton as the program installed? (So in my case, the storage/enclosures will be on SD card?)

And, where can I set the housekeeping rule? (e.g. by how many DAYS or how many ITEMS to keep)

Thanks,.

[isomaniac]

Ok, more comment from me...

Egress VS NewsBreak

I am a new comer to RSS. I just started to learned, then loved the RSS 4 days ago :)

I am using Egress and NewsBreak at the same time. For desktop PC I use Sharp Reader and Rocket Info (web based RSS reader)

Sharp Reader flawlessly subscribed all my favorite RSS channels. I export them into an opml file. Then I send this file to PPC and let Egress and NewsBreak import this file to subscribed my favorite RSS channels.

Out come:

Egress has NO choice for me to choose which channel(s) from the OPML file to subcscribe. So you either subscribe ALL the RSS channels contained in the OPML file, or you do not subscribe any channel from this OPML file at all.

But for those subscribed channels, Egress has no problem at all to retrieve the headlines of all the subscribed channels.

NewsBreak, on the other hand, lets me choose which channel to subscribe from the imported OPML file. It lets me tick the check box of each channel inside the OPML file. It is good. But still lacking the "select all" and "unselect all" optinos.

But then, NewsBreak FAILED to retrieve some RSS channels, these channels are: BargainPDA, CNet News, Dave;s IPAQ, Ipaq HQ, Slashdot and Wired. When I clicked on these "empty" channels, it shows "Error loading the channel: Unspecified error , "

Also, NewsBreak jump to a band new screen if I click on a single headline to see the abstract. So in this new window, I cannot see OTHER headlines, even if the tapped headline has only very few (1 or 2 lines of text) lines of abstract. This is no good. In Egress's case, the tapped item expands in the same "list all headlines" window so I can still see other headlines.

Not to mention NewsBreak lacks the housekeeping option to set how many /long I want to keep the headlines/enclosures.

Please voice out your comments about these 2 RSS readers.

[Ilium Software]

I LOVE eWallet and so I expect premium quality for NewsBreak. Just installed and trying it out.

One question, I installed it on the SD Card but I found no option inside the software to set WHERE to put the storage/enslosures. Is it default to put the storage/enclosures in the SAME locaiton as the program installed? (So in my case, the storage/enclosures will be on SD card?)

And, where can I set the housekeeping rule? (e.g. by how many DAYS or how many ITEMS to keep)

Thanks,.

Thank you for trying NewBbreak.

The currently released version of NewsBreak on Pocket PC stores the channel data in a folder under the installation directory.

We just released 1.0.1 for the Smartphone, and this includes the ability to configure the storage location. We expect to release 1.0.1 for Pocket PC early this year.

Also, NewsBreak does not currently support enclosures.

[isomaniac]

I LOVE eWallet and so I expect premium quality for NewsBreak. Just installed and trying it out.

One question, I installed it on the SD Card but I found no option inside the software to set WHERE to put the storage/enslosures. Is it default to put the storage/enclosures in the SAME locaiton as the program installed? (So in my case, the storage/enclosures will be on SD card?)

And, where can I set the housekeeping rule? (e.g. by how many DAYS or how many ITEMS to keep)

Thanks,.

Thank you for trying NewBbreak.

The currently released version of NewsBreak on Pocket PC stores the channel data in a folder under the installation directory.

We just released 1.0.1 for the Smartphone, and this includes the ability to configure the storage location. We expect to release 1.0.1 for Pocket PC early this year.

Also, NewsBreak does not currently support enclosures.

How about the housekeeping setting?

Also, does NewsBreak works with the proxy set in the Connection Manager? Egress does. But NewsBreak seems unable to update any channel if my Pocket PC is behind a proxy, even though I have setup proxy in the Connection Manager, and my Pocket IE can go websites flawlessly.

Thanks.

[Ilium Software]

How about the housekeeping setting?

Also, does NewsBreak works with the proxy set in the Connection Manager? Egress does. But NewsBreak seems unable to update any channel if my Pocket PC is behind a proxy, even though I have setup proxy in the Connection Manager, and my Pocket IE can go websites flawlessly.

Thanks.

Thank you for trying NewsBreak.

The housekeeping option you describe is not a capability of NewsBreak.

NewsBreak uses the Connection Manager, and we have tested it behind a proxy. NewsBreak was used for weeks by one of our beta users who was behind a corporate proxy. Can you PM me with some details about your proxy configuration and your hardware?