Author: deuts

The Sad State of Google Reader

Google Reader, 2005-2013
Google Reader, 2005-2013

From the Google Official Blog:

We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.

I’m an ardent user of Google Reader. I use it everyday to keep abreast of the latest news, from general news, tech, photography, videography, basketball, chess, personal financing, investing, etc. I access it directly from the web, or using desktop and mobile clients. The sync function facilitates tracking of read and unread articles across the various platforms.

I’ve come to know about feed aggregators when I came across the web-based service called ‘Netvibes‘ back in 2005. I’ve used that service since to follow my favorite blogs (which were few then) and also to discover new blogs. Until I came along Google Reader — same concept but carries the Google brand, a mark of a service that is here to stay.

Apparently, it was a grave mistake. Keep on Reading »

The Smartphone Dominion

smartphones

There are a lot of metrics to measure smartphone dominion among different smartphone brands and operating systems. Survey organizations use sales figures, net profit, internet traffic, apps ecosystem, etc., even broken down into different demographics and/or geography, to demonstrate the different systems’ leadership above the rest.

But, really, if you are going to be realistic about it, try going to restaurants, malls, and/or coffee shops around the metro, and observe which smartphones are predominantly in the hands of other people around you, you’ll find that these statistics are not quite accurate.

This is why Keira Knightly is my fave actress

Anna Karenina

An excerpt of the interview with Keira Knightly about her role as Anna Karenina:

Q: Is that why you think it (Anna Karenina’s character) still resonates to this day?

I think it resonates to this day because it’s about love and not just romance or just that happy bit. Not love in the way it’s all sold to us but love as the thing that we’ve been fascinated and obsessed with for centuries. Love is that thing that we are all after and yet can destroy us and is painful. It can be madness and can be joy and can be happiness. It looks at the whole thing. I think that’s why it’s so complex. It has more questions within it than it has answers. We never manage to answer the questions. Love is something that is so inexplicable and so complex and strange.

And that’s why I must watch this movie when it comes out!

Justin Bieber and a Dozen Arabs

guest-post-iconThis is a guest post from Raymond.

I’m still dejected following the nation’s pride, Manny Pacquiao’s devastating sixth round KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth match up. Not a few people have urged him to hang up his gloves especially after absorbing that vicious punch which rendered him unconscious for a time.

My take on these calls for retirement initially was that:

If I am Pacquiao, there’s no way on earth that I will allow that my last image as a fighter and only eight division world champion be one that is face down on the canvas. What I will do is rid myself of all distractions, train as if I haven’t won anything and as if I’m broke. Fight ferociously driven by that KO image in my mind. Convincingly beat Bradley, Marquez and Mayweather in that particular order – then call it a career. Continue reading Justin Bieber and a Dozen Arabs

How To: Sort Folders and Subscriptions Alphabetically in Reeder for Mac?

You can’t!

Not in the settings, not in the available view options, no — nothing.

Users need folders and subscriptions sorted alphabetically because that’s the optimal way to organize them — especially when you switch back and forth between the web-based Google Reader and the Reeder for Mac (Reeder). Google Reader folders and subscriptions are already sorted alphabetically, so getting around favorite feeds is a snap. Reeder’s, on the other hand, are sorted, I believe, by when the feeds were added and the folders created.

There are alternative Google Reader desktop apps for Mac — Caffeinated is a contender. I installed the trial version of this app, and tested until my trial period ran out. Caffeinated organizes folders and subscriptions alphabetically — fine, but it takes a while to update/sync feeds, particularly read and unread items. Font styles and sizes can be modified via Themes, but there are limited choices, as compared to Reeder. Worst of all, the app crashes rather more frequently, and at times when it manifests its erratic behavior, feeds are misplaced in different folders. In short — unreliable.

And I can’t afford paying for another Google Reader app that does almost entirely the same thing.

I posted a review of the Reeder in the Mac App Store, hopefully the developer/s will heed my pique. I also sent an email, tweet, but no response so far.

So I guess I’m stuck with the Reeder for Mac.

GeekyNights on iTunes

GeekyNights is a great podcast/vidcast about all things tech, gadgetry and other geekiness.

The problem is that their uploads to iTunes is so late their videos have become so irrelevant if you follow it from there.

Tech is a fast-paced game that if your latest update is about the release of the recent gadgets that were actually released 3-4 weeks ago, then what you have there is history already.

And you don’t actually expect us to catch your live broadcasts every time, right? And yeah, I can just watch the latest videos from UStream, but then the resolution is bad and I can’t play it on my TV.

Mailbird is Sparrow for Windows

Sparrow is a sleek Email desktop client for Mac. I’ve raved about how awesome it was and how it made a Mac a Mac. That, of course, is besides the fact that Google recently acquired the Sparrow team, which puts the project’s future in question.

I was one of those who wished Sparrow Mail was available in PC as well. Fortunately, Mailbird is here to come.

Currently, it’s not yet available for download and/or testing, but the concept looks promising. It”s going to have the same clean and sleek interface, the things we used to love in Sparrow. On top of that, there will be, according to their website, an open source app community to let app developers develop their own cool apps and/or improve on existing apps.

Personally, I can’t wait for the release of this email client as I use Windows everyday in the office.

Smart Freedom Plan Updated

Plans and/or promos that you can subscribe to under the Smart Freedom Plan has been updated as of October 21, 2012, particularly Data plans. Now it includes various Always On denominations. Check out their webpage for more info.

Would have subscribed to one of the Always On options, but my Freedom Plan SIM was installed in my iPad, which since it’s not yet jailbroken, it can’t send SMS to complete the subscription. Another way could have been through the Account Management page in the Smart Communications website, but there was no option there for Data Packages, unlike when you’re using a Smart Bro prepaid SIM.

So there, another potential revenue gone for Smart.