FeedRoller

FeedRoller is a simple-to-use feed reader that displays the latest news on the top of the screen in a non-intrusive manner. It supports RSS and ATOM feeds, and comes packed with many customization options.

The setup procedure is rapid and uneventful. At startup, FeedRoller creates an entry in the system tray area and displays the latest feeds on the top of the screen on a black banner which stays on top of other windows. It disappears when the cursor hovers over it, allowing users to carry on with normal activity without any interruptions.

The program's configuration can be made from the tray icon. For example, FeedRoller can be paused to keep the currently shown news, or unpinned from the desktop.

Feeds can be easily managed by bringing up a secondary window, where users may add a new feed by specifying a URL, name, maximum items, age and cache life. Meanwhile, feed configurations can also be imported from XML, OPML or TXT, as well as exported to these formats.

It is also possible to change the item and idle times, news maximum age and number of items, cache directory and lifespan, UI global padding, margins and summary rows, as well as adjust animation, transparency, font and color settings. Hotkeys are supported and they can be remapped.

The tool does not put a strain on PC performance, since it runs on low CPU and RAM. We have not come across any issues throughout our evaluation, as it did not hang, crash or pop up error messages. FeedRoller bundles numerous settings for viewing news feeds on the desktop, and it should meet the requirements of most users.

There's also a portable edition available called Portable FeedRoller, in case you want to bypass the installer and run the tool directly from a pen drive.