Arr! SS - Simple RSS Reader for BlackBerry
Posted in BlackBerry Apps on 02 Sep 2009 10:47 by Adam Zeis | 21 comments

Arr! SS

Cruising the forums I ran across Arr! SS and decided to check it out (mostly because of the sweet name). Just as it sounds, Arr! SS is a simple RSS reader for BlackBerry. It is still in the early stages, but many updates are on the way. The installation is simple, and the interface is as easy as can be. There is currently a free and premium version available. The free version gives you all the basic features, allowing you to add feeds manually and some other mild tweaks. If you are looking for something more, the premium version easily integrates with Google Reader and allows you to quickly import feeds (more premium features will be added that won't be found in the free version). The UI is plain and simple - just click the feed title and you are taken to the article list where you can expand one by one. If you aren't a fan of a fully charged RSS readers, you should check out Arr! SS. The premium version is well worth the $1.99 tag, and with more updates on the way, you really can't go wrong. 

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Comments
By: vballer | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 10:33

Will give it a whirl.

By: Tony Bag O Donuts | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 10:36

I want a no frills reader.
The developer is quick to reply with his phonelog app...

By: bigtime2 | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 10:49

It doesnt seem to be working on the 8520...

By: rrife | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 10:52

I've been working on a new version that adds lots of new features & compatibility support. So if you're having problems getting v1.2 to work, just wait a week or so and I'll have a new version available....or msg me and I'll send you a link to try out the latest build.

By: Mathrin | Date: Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:41

I got the paid version and I can't view any feeds or add feeds. I was able to sinc with google, but can't read any feeds from there either. I get a Please Wait pop up and then it just goes away and stays on the main screen. Same for trying to add a feed. Acts like it will look for the feed and just stops.

BB Bold OS 4.6.0.297

By: Umm Yeah... | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 12:00

If you're looking for s SIMPLE RSS reader, try Viigo Lite at http://getviigo.com/lite. It's the older, stripped down, version of the VERY stable Viigo RSS reader without all the memory sucking extras of the full version.

By: Mathrin | Date: Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:56

Apparently the BB Bold is not currently supported for Viigo Lite.

By: Umm Yeah... | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 12:01

Oh, and it's free!

By: bucky716 | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 13:32

For some reason I felt like paying for this app but there's two issues I've found that've made me regret the purchase.

1. It does not show which feeds have unread messages.

2. It did not sync every feed I have in Google, only like 10 to 15 or so.

If these get fixed I'd be happy. Its simple and quick.

By: Trayler | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 13:45

I'm going to give the free version a try...

By: johnnymac | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 14:03

I've ended up migrating away from RSS feeds, and using Twitter to get all my news and info - both on my desktop and my handheld. Am I alone in this? Is RSS starting to die down as far as usage goes?

I'd be curious to know what the trends are out there...(I'm sure each side has its own story - but what's the REAL breakdown of usage?)

By: OME6A | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:24

Relying on Twitter is like only reading the headlines, and not the full story. In a sense, looking at a feed is just like looking at Twitter, but you have the option of getting more information.

Why not just add someone's Twitter to your RSS feeds and have the best of both worlds?

By: bucky716 | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:52

A lot of web sites have new articles posted with links to their twitter account so you can just choose to click or not click. I'm still convinced that RSS is only used by "power" users of sorts online. I'd bet a majority of people on the internet have no idea what an rss feed is.

By: OME6A | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:29

This is a great app, but there are a few reasons why it won't be my only goto for RSS:

1-It doesn't keep track of already read feeds.

2-It doesn't automatically update, you have to manually refresh each feed.

3-Pictures with a feed item only show when you open the item, not in the list of items from the feed.

4-I wish there were an "Open Link" button along with the "Open Site" button. This would be so helpful for Reddit feeds!

Please rrife, consider these enhancements!

By: OME6A | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:30

Oh, and it'd be nice if the pictures were a liiiitle bigger.

By: OME6A | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:31

2b - It'd be nice if when you opened a feed it automatically refreshed the feed, and if there were an option to automatically refresh all feeds when the app was opened.

By: fein34 | Date: Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:51

sadly, i loaded this up on my 8310 OS 4.5 and nothing happened. when i tried to uninstall it, it hung my 'berry (requiring a battery pull). i was then stuck with the icon on my homescreen but the OS did not find the program, requiring me to d/l it again (requiring a battery pull) so i could then delete it again (requiring a battery pull). this seemed to be well out of beta so i gave it a try...but it behaved for me as if it was at v.12, not v1.2.
sorry, but my vote goes to viigo lite.

By: dougdog | Date: Thu, 09/03/2009 - 07:07

Why paying 1.99$ for a piece of crap when you can download Viigo for FREE!!!

By: Mathrin | Date: Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:52

Because downloading a 1.5mb program just to read RSS feeds is retarded.

By: jakeh0 | Date: Fri, 09/04/2009 - 09:21

i like this much more than viigo

By: killersilver | Date: Sun, 09/27/2009 - 16:57

At least for now, i wish i didn't pay for this app.

I bought it because of the google reader functionality. There's no way to try them before buying the app because it unlocks that feature when it's registered. But it only imports from google reader, no sync at all, so it's useless.

I'm gonna have to stick with Viigo Lite (which is great) but it doesn't sync with google reader either.

Why is it so hard to have an RSS Reader with Google Reader sync?

 
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