Bigger and Better: PocketRSS 2.0.16 Released

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=42989&productType=2' target='_blank'>http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/...9&productType=2</a><br /><br /></div><i>"PocketRSS is a Today Screen plugin and stand-alone application which allows a quick and easy method of displaying various types of RSS/OPML compliant data on your Today Screen. It does require a connection to the Internet from the Pocket PC, but is designed to still function while offline. It is designed to be used with any of the many hundreds of RSS/OPML webdata sources available in the public domain. This way the user will have access to RSS-formatted news, sports, weblogs, etc. Whatever RSS/OPML compliant data you can find, PocketRSS will display it for you on your Pocket PC."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050103-PocketRSSv2.gif" /><br /><br />HappyJackRoad have just released a major update to PocketRSS. You'll notice many changes since Version 1.x. Features include<!>:<br /><br />• supported integration with PocketBreeze<br />• database storage for faster feed response<br />• simple feed content management<br />• namespace/xml mapping feature for advanced users<br />• custom view modes<br />• feed wizard support<br />• stylus-free viewing support (D-pad optimised)<br />• feed item controls<br />• the ability to download full article links for offline viewing<br />• the ability to download audio content (i.e. podcasting)<br />• support for WM2003SE landscape mode (and VGA)<br />• improved network connections<br />• a new user interface<br /><br />PocketRSS is available from <a href="http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=42989&productType=2">Handango</a> for $5.00, and upgrades from Version 1.42 are free using the developer's <a href="http://www.happyjackroad.net/register.asp">new registration system</a>. HappyJackRoad have stated that <a href="http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/pocketRSS/pocketRSS.asp">PocketRSS 2.0</a> will not be made available at Handango until January 3, 2005. This will allow you to take advantage of the $5.00 offer on Version 1.42 and still be eligible for the free upgrade to Version 2.0. If you're looking to sample the software first, you may download the desktop installer <a href="http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/pocketRSS/PocketRSS2016.exe">here</a> or the CAB installer <a href="http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/pocketRSS/PocketRSS2016.sa.cab">here</a>. [Affiliate]

[ctmagnus]

I celebrated New Year's Eve by downloading this. I :ppclove: the integration with PocketBreeze. Anything to free up more space on the Today screen is okay by me.

[acetuk]

I too bought this and at the same time bought egress, my current primary reader (I've been using it on trial for quite a few days and love it).

So why did I buy PocketRSS when I prefer something else? Well firstly because of the potential - my brief testing suggests that this already very good and nearly as good as egress for what I want. And secondly (and very importantly) to support the developer. This is top stuff for $5 and the developer should be rewarded for his work.

The only things I would like to see are options as to what feeds are show on the today screen and for those feeds to have a forum/website title.

But great work so far.

[Golfer]

I'm looking forward to upgrading from 1.4.2

What is the best way to upgrade? I want to ensure that I don not loose my existing feeds?

[Darius Wey]

What is the best way to upgrade? I want to ensure that I don not loose my existing feeds?

It appears that the best way is to download the desktop installer and run it on your PC. You can use this installer to perform a reinstall through ActiveSync. You'll need to visit here (http://www.happyjackroad.net/register.asp) to update your registration information for compatibility with 2.0.

If you wish to be safe though, you should backup the RSS database used by PocketRSS. You should find this in the folder where PocketRSS was previously installed.

[marcm]

I was just looking around for an RSS reader for my Pocket PC so i could look at all my favorite feeds offline or online! I'll try this out, it looks great! :D

[Golfer]

The re-install process enabled the previous database to be activated, which is excellent. Just need to see how to increase the font size of the text in the Today screen.

Looking forward to play with it later.

[juni]

The today plugin is really great, but the "settings" screen looks a bit strange on a VGA device (which isn't really critical since I don't need to go there all the time). Also, it would be good if it could detect when wifi is on and auto-update.

All in all, I'm impressed. :)

[Marcel_Proust]

Wow!
Can I say Wow!
I love the PocketBreeze integration, the Feedster search, the ability to read offline, and wow - Podcasting! Can anyone say wow?

[Marcel_Proust]

Can I add another wow?
I paid only $5 dollars for version 1.x and I get to upgrade to this fantastic new version for free? Wow!

[cxc4u]

I noticed this:
• the ability to download full article links for offline viewing

Does this also mean that it can automatically download the feed at a certain time, ex. Before I go on my commute, I turn on my Pocket PC, get a wireless connection via WiFi, download all the PPCThoughts headlines from the feed, disconnect, and read on the train?

[WolfDaemon]

It certainly looks good, but it doesn't support proxy servers that require authentication.

Which means I can't use this when I'm stuck in meetings (when I need it most!)

Oh well, maybe next revision they'll get my money. $5 would definitely be worth it if I could use it at work.

[Darius Wey]

The today plugin is really great, but the "settings" screen looks a bit strange on a VGA device (which isn't really critical since I don't need to go there all the time). Also, it would be good if it could detect when wifi is on and auto-update.

All in all, I'm impressed. :)

Juni, can we expect any new skins supporting PocketRSS now? :D

[Darius Wey]

Does this also mean that it can automatically download the feed at a certain time, ex. Before I go on my commute, I turn on my Pocket PC, get a wireless connection via WiFi, download all the PPCThoughts headlines from the feed, disconnect, and read on the train?

Spot on. If you look at the GIF I included in the initial post, you'll see that the Holo-Projector post I made a week ago has been downloaded for offline viewing. That's just a taste of the offline-feature.

[Deslock]

VGA support is so-so, even when using Tweaks2k2's Brute Force. The feed wizard, setup, and navigation buttons graqphics don't display properly (they get cut off at the bottom of the screen and overlap each other).

The program is sluggish and it seems to update the feeds pretty slowly compared to desktop RSS readers... is that normal?

[Jason Lee]

VGA support is so-so, even when using Tweaks2k2's Brute Force. The feed wizard, setup, and navigation buttons graqphics don't display properly (they get cut off at the bottom of the screen and overlap each other).


did you set the option for it to run in vga mode? it is in the pocket rss setting under the general section. I don't have a vga device but this program is super cool. I didn't really even want an rss reader but the program is so well writen that I just had to thow my $5 in. :D

It is a bit slow to update feeds.. but that depends on your connection speed too. It updated very fast over wifi but pretty slow when i was bluetooth activesynced through my pc... dunno. But i love it! :)

[Deslock]

VGA support is so-so, even when using Tweaks2k2's Brute Force. The feed wizard, setup, and navigation buttons graqphics don't display properly (they get cut off at the bottom of the screen and overlap each other).


did you set the option for it to run in vga mode? it is in the pocket rss setting under the general section. I don't have a vga device but this program is super cool. I didn't really even want an rss reader but the program is so well writen that I just had to thow my $5 in. :D

It is a bit slow to update feeds.. but that depends on your connection speed too. It updated very fast over wifi but pretty slow when i was bluetooth activesynced through my pc... dunno. But i love it! :)
The VGA setting doesn't do anything on my X50v.... content looks ugly and blocky whether or not that box is checked. Strangely enough, the popup menus (for setting, etc) have VGA-smooth font, but the content font is what matters.

Using wifi, it takes ~80 seconds to refresh the 15 feeds that came with the program. Is that normal?

[Jason Lee]

Yeah, i guess that would be about right.. i cleaned out the default feeds and just use my own. I have 11 feeds. The first 10 update in just a bit less than 30 seconds. The new one i just added is weather alerts for my state. That feed alone takes a minute and a half to download.... 8O

So i would say that the download speed entirely depends on the feeds you have. I guess i'll probably be getting rid of the national weather service feed.. Yikes... one feed takes two and a half times longer than my 10 other feeds combind...

[JayM]

Wow!
Can I say Wow!
I love the PocketBreeze integration, the Feedster search, the ability to read offline, and wow - Podcasting! Can anyone say wow?

Yeah I'm a podcasting nut!! I get them all the time and Pocket PC is probably the best platform since you can play all types of media.

[Darius Wey]

Yeah, i guess that would be about right.. i cleaned out the default feeds and just use my own. I have 11 feeds. The first 10 update in just a bit less than 30 seconds. The new one i just added is weather alerts for my state. That feed alone takes a minute and a half to download.... 8O

Interesting, in PocketRSS, over a dial-up connection, I managed to synchronise RSS feeds from all three Thoughts sites in around 15 seconds.

[Deslock]

Mine is installed in the X50v file-store... do you guys that are getting faster updates have it installed to RAM?

[Darius Wey]

Mine is installed in the X50v file-store... do you guys that are getting faster updates have it installed to RAM?

Funnily enough, mine is installed on a storage card.

[ctmagnus]

Has anyone checked out Egress lately? It's been getting major updates as well. Versions 2.0.0 and 2.0.1 were released December 29 and 31, respectively.

[Darius Wey]

Has anyone checked out Egress lately? It's been getting major updates as well. Versions 2.0.0 and 2.0.1 were released December 29 and 31, respectively.

Thanks ctmagnus. I noticed this a couple of days ago and was in the process of doing up a front page post.

[Jason Lee]

Interesting, in PocketRSS, over a dial-up connection, I managed to synchronise RSS feeds from all three Thoughts sites in around 15 seconds.

Ok, upon further investigation... I watched it update. ;) It isn't taking a long time to down load feeds. The national weather service feed takes sometimes clost to a minute on the "prossesing data" step. That is after the data is downloaded to your device. Over a GPRS connection just the Pocket PC Thoughts feed pulled down and updated in around 5 seconds. The program is far from slow. Most of it has to do with the feed not the program. The national weather service feed is the only one that is slow for me. It contains all watches and warnings for all counties in Missouri. It doesn't take long to download, just to "process". It is still in beta so the feed may just be badly formated or something.

[Darius Wey]

Ok, upon further investigation... I watched it update. ;) It isn't taking a long time to down load feeds. The national weather service feed takes sometimes clost to a minute on the "prossesing data" step. That is after the data is downloaded to your device. Over a GPRS connection just the Pocket PC Thoughts feed pulled down and updated in around 5 seconds. The program is far from slow. Most of it has to do with the feed not the program. The national weather service feed is the only one that is slow for me. It contains all watches and warnings for all counties in Missouri. It doesn't take long to download, just to "process". It is still in beta so the feed may just be badly formated or something.

To add, if you're pulling content for offline viewing, and the feed has a lot of embedded images in it, that could also be a time chewer.

[Jason Lee]

Oh yeah, I noticed in the screen shot gif that it had the Pocket PC Thoughts feed displayed just like the mobile version of the site. I cannot figure out how to get pocket rss to display that way. I'm sure i'm missing something obvious... :oops:

[Darius Wey]

Update: PocketRSS has been updated overnight to 2.0.17.

[Darius Wey]

Oh yeah, I noticed in the screen shot gif that it had the Pocket PC Thoughts feed displayed just like the mobile version of the site. I cannot figure out how to get pocket rss to display that way. I'm sure i'm missing something obvious... :oops:

You will need to open up PocketRSS' settings and enable extended data and image support in the HTML/Description View part of the Settings page.

[Jason Lee]

You will need to open up PocketRSS' settings and enable extended data and image support in the HTML/Description View part of the Settings page.

Ok that's what i though... I did that and made sure that pocket pc thoughts was set to download extended data. Even tried it with smartphone thoughts... Still no go. :?:

[Darius Wey]

Ok that's what i though... I did that and made sure that pocket pc thoughts was set to download extended data. Even tried it with smartphone thoughts... Still no go. :?:

It works fine for me. Try setting up the PPCT feed again. Delete the existing one, and create a new one: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/xml

Set it to download extended data, and then update the feed. Ensure the settings have been configured properly ("Show Images" and "Show Extended" are checked). Once all the content has been downloaded, simply view the feeds.

[Jason Lee]

It works fine for me. Try setting up the PPCT feed again. Delete the existing one, and create a new one: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/xml

Set it to download extended data, and then update the feed. Ensure the settings have been configured properly ("Show Images" and "Show Extended" are checked). Once all the content has been downloaded, simply view the feeds.

Ok, tried that... now it just shows a blank page.. LOL. I'll just stick with the default feed view. :roll:

[Darius Wey]

Ok, tried that... now it just shows a blank page.. LOL. I'll just stick with the default feed view. :roll:

Interesting. I've tested it on two other devices and it's worked fine so far. Where are your temporary internet files stored, and do you reserve enough memory for it?

[Jason Lee]

Interesting. I've tested it on two other devices and it's worked fine so far. Where are your temporary internet files stored, and do you reserve enough memory for it?

Ha HA! sucsess! It wouldn't download extended content for any posts that had ever been on my device. I updated it later yesterday and there were two new posts on pocket pc thoughts and it got the extended data for those. :)

[Darius Wey]

Ha HA! sucsess! It wouldn't download extended content for any posts that had ever been on my device. I updated it later yesterday and there were two new posts on pocket pc thoughts and it got the extended data for those. :)

What can I say? Persistence pays off. :rock on dude!:

[Jason Lee]

Ok, next problem.. :)
I download the Dilbert feed, grapics come nicely and all. BUT... the image is shrunk to fit the window. I cannot read the cartoon because it is smashed so small that all the text is blured. Landscape mode in SE helps with this a bit but not with the big color sunday comics. Is there anyway to view the image in actual size? I noticed that in the post about pocket egress' update that one screen shot showed viewing/zooming images.

What to do? I cannot read dilbert on my ppc!! 8O LOL

[garishkernels]

Ok, next problem.. :)
I download the Dilbert feed, grapics come nicely and all. BUT... the image is shrunk to fit the window. I cannot read the cartoon because it is smashed so small that all the text is blured. Landscape mode in SE helps with this a bit but not with the big color sunday comics. Is there anyway to view the image in actual size? I noticed that in the post about pocket egress' update that one screen shot showed viewing/zooming images.

What to do? I cannot read dilbert on my ppc!! 8O LOL
Actually quite funny that you mention dilbert, it's one of the primary reasons that the viewing functionality exists in Egress. Comics are one of the few images that are virtually useless when scaled down -- and I like reading dilbert.

-Karl

[Phillip Dyson]

I'm a current Egress user. I just started playing with the PocketRSS demo.

Pros:
I like the look and feel of it. Polished. Although not sure that I don't prefer Egress.
I love the PocketBreeze integration.
I like the Podcasting potential. Although admittedly I have yet to explore Pod or Shout casting.

Cons:
The settings screens are a bit busy. A little confusing to.
The One handed navigation is poor.
Not sure that I like the way the feeds are organized.

[Jeremiah]

Not to mention that PocketRSS is HUGE since it requires to install the ADOCE dlls in your Windows directory.

[Ripper014]

Not to mention that PocketRSS is HUGE since it requires to install the ADOCE dlls in your Windows directory.

Not a problem when you have 128mb of ram...

[Ripper014]

I'm a current Egress user. I just started playing with the PocketRSS demo.

Pros:
I like the look and feel of it. Polished. Although not sure that I don't prefer Egress.
I love the PocketBreeze integration.
I like the Podcasting potential. Although admittedly I have yet to explore Pod or Shout casting.

Cons:
The settings screens are a bit busy. A little confusing to.
The One handed navigation is poor.
Not sure that I like the way the feeds are organized.


Totally agree with your assessments.... of both programs... well except that I like the interface of Egress better... if I could merge what I liked about both programs I think I would be very close to being happy. Like you said the thing I dislike most about PocketRSS is that it is not the easiest application to navigate...

[Jason Lee]

How come when i purge feed data to slim down the size of the database nothing happens? I can delete feeds and the database doesn't get any smaller. I purged all data from all my feeds and the database is still 816 kb?? How is that possible. It used to be 517 kb so it definitly gets bigger.. but it won't get any smaller.
Oh and does anyone have a list of all the files it dumps into the windows ditectory? They don't go away when you uninstall the program. I've lost some 700+ kb in my windows directory... :evil: