Web Browser-based Feed Aggregators - RSS Extensions continued
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Brief - (download: here)
Brief brings so many functions and features that it comes the closest to being a standalone client. After installation we were greeted by a stylish yet simplified "newspaper"-like view that is also customizable. The user has total control of defining the way feeds are displayed -- full entries or just headlines, show single feeds or whole folders, only unread or include read feeds too, or just the "starred entries."
Starred entries? What? Well, you can add a "star" to mark a specific article/entry. You might use a star on an entry because you haven't had the time to read it or because it was interesting. In addition, the list of extensive functions is improved by the feature that allows setting a manual time interval between each syndication. This is really, and I mean really, useful.
One of its unique features is storing some or all of your feed(s) on your disk. You can specify the number of feeds and/or entries to be saved locally, as well as pinpoint the number of days after which they will be deleted. By the way, both RSS and Atom are supported.
(Brief's main interface with sidebar)
Wizz RSS News Reader - (download: here)
Wizz RSS News Reader is a decent extension for Firefox but in our opinion it does not stand out. Some of its main issues are the lack of a "newspaper" display mode and the opportunity to configure the synchronization time interval. And it may create confusion when more than a few feeds are monitored due to its small allocated space.
(Sidebar of Wizz RSS News Reader)
The whole news reader works only in the sidebar. This sidebar is split horizontally into three vertical segments: list of feeds, title of news, and short summary of the particular news. Simply put, there's not enough space to get comfortable with when more feeds are monitored. It is, however, significantly better than the standard news reader. It also sports a feature that allows emailing friends to recommend feeds.
NewsFox - (download: here)
NewsFox is simply an efficient news aggregation extension for Firefox. It adopted the three-pane interface that's usually for e-mail clients. It has a decent list of features and its interface is very simple and won't clog up with stuff.
(NewsFox's three-pane view)
Since it is based on the traditional way of syndicating feeds, it supports both formats (RSS and Atom). You have options to manually configure the refresh time interval and the display mode (text or HTML). It lacks the "newspaper" view.
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