14 DAY TRIAL // The constant hunger for information, this is what defines the modern society. Being the first using it in the best way possible can have huge benefits. But for this to happen, information must be gathered from reliable sources. That's why each and everyone of us are trying not to be "out of date" each day of our lives. Accumulating it takes less time than the actual search. So the question which arises is what is the best way for searching and finding the information we are interested in?
We have no time to browse an entire website when we are searching for something and having to hunt information down through dozens of web locations makes things even worse. That's why we need a feed, a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) document which contains a summary of the associated website of text file content.
Snarfer is an easy-to-use application which allows you to read, search and manage RSS feeds from any website on the Internet supporting the technology. And best of all, it doesn't cost you a penny. All my life I've been using the traditional search engines when looking for something, but now I think this program has made my life easier. It is not a system resource hog and minutes after installation you will be aware of the usability and flexibility of the RSS Reader. Especially when a fair community of users are feedback providers, requesting new features or talking about the various feeds, plug-ins or the general problems they encounter.
The interface has a fair design and a well-built structure. In the left hand side, you can observe in a panel the wide assortment of feeds you have chosen during the installation process. There is a wide range of categories to select from, like Business, Website Design, Sports, News, Computer, Technology, and lots more. You can add your own interests in folders in which you can browse for a feed you are familiar with. Or have a look on the publisher's website, there is plenty more in there to choose from in the Additional Feeds section.
With a simple click, the upper right side is filled with news titles which can be displayed in tiles, newspaper style or having details. This can be customized from the program's View menu. In the lower right side, the info is presented in the application's own browser. On request, it can be expanded to full screen or you can view the original website holding the news. As for reading the article links, this can be done in either a new tab, a current window or in an external window of the program's browser. Snarfer uses IE as its default browser (Firefox doesn't offer proper API yet).
If you are looking for a bargain to buy from the Internet, Snarfer has a Search Wizard which allows you to search for items in eBay and Craigslist websites. Because the program sees this as a web-feed, everytime the channel is updated you will see new results added.
Currently, Snarfer contains adware, but the integrated commercials do not affect in any way its usability. Since paying for desktop utilities is not a suitable option anymore, generating income to maintain such a program and its website (forum included) is left to advertising or sponsorship.
Having a look at its capabilities, Snarfer has embedded video support for websites such as Google Video or the like. The Keyword Watch feature is a core option as it allows users to filter incoming messages into new or predefined folders. A search toolbar couldn't be left out in case we are in a rush and must find something specific.
Using the contextual menu or the feed manager you can add, remove, edit or change the hierarchy of your channels. To keep your desktop tidy, you can minimize Snarfer to system tray. In this state, pointing the mouse on the program's icon will reveal the latest headlines of your top feeds. Having a shot at all these customization possibilities made me believe that this software keeps the comfort level at high standards.
When it comes to sharing the information, Snarfer comes up with two options: you can either e-mail the articles as they are to others, or export selected feed lists as OPML and email them. OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is an XML format for outlines. Originally developed by Radio UserLand as a native file format, it has been adopted by aggregators for other uses, like RSS list file exchange.
Another interesting feature is the addition of Bloglines synchronization. After the free registration has taken place (you need a valid email address), Snarfer can synchronize feeds using the Bloglines online database. This is marvelous because users can update both Snarfer and Bloglines anytime and can access the feeds from any computer, regardless of the platform. All they need is a computer with an Internet connection.
Looking under the hood, Snarfer seems to be a well built "machine." It has support for all kind of stuff as SGML CDATA in HTML and markup in XHTML, malformed ISO8601 dates, plugins, language packs and stylesheets and support for synchronizing feeds with Bloglines online RSS Reader. Web search is done using a number of popular RSS/Blog search engines including: Blogdigger, Bloglines, Blogpulse, Feedster, Google Blog Search, IceRocket, MSN Search etc. What needs to be optimized, I suppose, is the RSS database load time, as for a huge database Snarfer can take quite long to display.
I personally consider Snarfer to be among the best RSS Readers on the market. It is flexible, it has a good set of options to suit your needs. You can customize the search and the display. It is easy to install, and it is a system-resources preserver. I've tried to search for an option the publisher might have left out, but everything I wanted from a RSS Reader was in there already.
The Good
Snarfer is a RSS Reader which lets users read, subscribe and manage RSS feeds and content. The program supports RSS/XML/ATOM and presents information to users in an easy-to-use, comfortable interface. It doesn't eat a lot of resources. It has tabbed windows so users can open multiple messages just like in a web browser. Using synchronization, it combines the capabilities of a desktop application with the flexibility of a centralized Internet database. A very good customization is allowed to suit each individual. Excellently developed is website's forum as a help for all users and not only.
The Bad
It doesn't have pause option for feed refresh in case of system's backups. Synchronization with Bloglines is not exactly accurate, as number of news is not the same.
The Truth
Simple and extremely small, this reader is designed to sit in your system tray and give you the latest headlines and descriptions from all of your news feeds. It brings you the information you are interested in, the keyword defined news or the latest eBay bargains. Get it, it helps and it's free!
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
