14 DAY TRIAL // Sometimes being in an everlasting search instead of having a favorite is a better strategy, and I am not talking only about computer programs. Anyway, what we're going to talk about now is a brand new program built to help you read news. After all, it seems I don't want to find a news reader to use, not that I can't find a reliable one...and the best of all is the search process, so let's begin analyzing today's catch, a program called AgileRss.
AgileRss's latest version is labeled 2.0, and comes as a freeware program missing some advanced functions. To get full advantage of this program, registration or a trial license is required. The freeware version can be used as much as you like, the trial period lasts 15 days and for the commercial one, you have to pay 25Euros.
Since I got the license for this program from the producer, and I have to thank them a lot for it, I am going to review the full featured commercial product, because this is what really matters, after all - knowing if this program is worth your money or not. The setup package can have 8.2 or 19MB in size, depending on the version you want to download - without Java or with the JVM included. Since most Windows systems have a JVM installed, you should try getting the smaller package, especially if your connection is slow.
AgileRss was downloaded, installed, and now the time has come for the first run! As usual, I'll first take a look at the interface, and then, we'll see if this program has all the tools we need to keep in touch with latest news properly. Are you ready? Let's start diggin'!
When I get to see programs using a Swing interface, it doesn't make me really optimistic. OK, OK, so this program was built using Java, and has all the good things that come with that, best of them being its portability - AgileRss can run easily on Windows, MacOS or Linux, but there are also some problems... First of all, since we're talking about the interface, I must tell you that the fonts were rendered really bad, despite the fact that I have ClearType enabled.
The good part about this program's interface is its ease of use, and that should be enough for most of us. The AgileRss-Ticker bar can be placed on your desktop for being updated live with the latest news and having the chance to access them quickly. Before moving on, I have to say that I've seen better Swing interfaces, but what really matters here is the news, so let's get to the features part, shall we?
First thing to do is subscribe to different feeds, and you'll be helped by a wizard all along the way. I was delighted to find out that the program guides me all along the way, asking me to enter my favorite news categories, from Health and Sports to Blogs and Opinions/Politics. After selecting the feeds you want to use - believe me, AgileRss will find more than you can carry! - you can start exploring the remaining areas.
I think the best way to continue is to browse some news, and there's nothing better than an internal browser... when you have one available, of course. There are two ways of browsing your news - the Classic mode and the Newspaper one. While the first one shows the short version of the currently selected item, the second viewing mode allows you to view a part of the article and even photos, and this is the best thing next to an internal browser, because if you want to view the original pages, AgileRss will send it to your default Internet browser.
If you are curious about importing and exporting feeds, the news is good: this Program can use the OPML file format for these operations. All you have to do is open the Tools menu, I am sure that even my grandmother can handle it from there?
If you want to search feeds based on a keyword, you can use the tool located in the Tool menu or just press Alt+S and enter the terms you're looking for. The good part is that you can filter results based on name or description, because if you are looking popular terms, you'll have to filter the results, believe me! Just one advice: don't look for "porn", I know what I'm saying...
The Preferences area is pretty rich in options, so if you are wondering about interface skins, using proxies, custom refresh times, highly customizable news ticker, dynamic toolbar that can "remember" your last used tools and even more!
This was the story, but to feel the real thing, you'll have to download this program and try it for yourselves, of course... but not before checking the conclusions and the screenshots, of course!
The Good
AgileRss is an interesting news reader with advanced features that's easy to use, very useful and can be an excellent choice for all of us!
The Bad
I would really like to see an improved interface and an internal browser, and maybe a news archiving feature, if it's possible...
The Truth
AgileRss's interface may not be the best choice around, but the program's features can make up for that, so here goes another program from this category on my one-thousand-favorite-programs list... No matter the news reader you're using now, AgileRss is worth at least a try, believe me!
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
