Feedly - the Heir to Google Reader

Google recently announced that it would shut down Google Reader effective July 1st. When I learned this last week, I wondered how I was going to keep track of all of my RSS feeds, especially all of the Catholic blogs I follow. Like others, I have relied on GR to help me skim, scan and sort my news feeds. (If you need a refresher on what I am talking about, review my tutorial post on RSS readers.)

The search for an adequate replacement app was quickly over. Many tech bloggers are calling the Feedly the heir to Google Reader,. According to TechCrunch, The Verge and CNET it is one of the closest apps to the reader. 3 million new subscribers in the last week can attest to that. According to TechCrunch, Feedly "became the No. 1 news app across all three top mobile platforms (iPhone, iPad and Android) this week." In response to all these new subscriptions, Feedly released a major upgrade to their app this morning. 

I like that it can be integrated to Chrome and automatically syncs and updates across devices. For a more detailed review of Feedly and their recent upgrades, I recommend Sarah Perez' article on TechCrunch.

Freedly is currently available in iOS and Android platforms and can be downloaded at the Apple iTunes Store and Google's Play. The app is currently FREE.

Tuesday Tech Talk: Tutorial on RSS Readers

If you have ever wondered how you can get updates on your favorite blogs like Joe Catholic, today's Tuesday Tech Talk will provide you with an easy way to subscribe to your favorite blogs, news sites or even regular websites.

The video below gives a clear (sometimes funny) tutorial for using an RSS reader to save you time from checking sites for updates. Depending on which reader you choose to use, they all come with their own variety of ways to organize your "feeds." For example, I have mine organized by topics: Catholicism, Debate, Tech and Writing.

At the bottom of the video, I have included a few Catholic blogs I follow.  This should give you a head start in collecting other good Catholic information. I find when I am on the go, this is the easiest way for me to incorporate some spiritual reading. I can even read them on my iPhone.

Bishop Kevin Vann's Blog: Shepherd of Fort Worth

Archbishop Timothy Dolan's Blog: The Gospel in the Digital Age

Taylor Marshall (guess blog on this site): Canterbury Tales by Taylor Marshall

Catholicism and Politics: The American Catholic