Just last week I took the time to review a new application for the BlackBerry PlayBook called ReadOnTouch Pro. Now at the time the application had a few missing features like landscape view and the ability to view images in the articles you’ve saved. But do not fret, ReadOnTouch Pro has been updated to version 2.0. The developer of ReadOnTouch Pro reached out to me and let me know a few things about the app and working with the BlackBerry platform. One was that he had had more downloads since it was featured on CrackBerry then its entire time on the WebOS platform, and second that the latest update is available and fixes a lot of the issues I pointed out in the review.

V2.0 Change log

• Added: finally Images are available in article view!
• added: special fullscreen mode: tap twice on the article-view to hide/unhide the toolbars!
• added: portrait mode
• added: scrollbar for article-view
• added: new serif font: bbalpha sans
• added: highlighting of search results in article list
• added: ability to logout from current account
• added: create new account from within the app changed: searchbox borders, now integrates seamlessly in article list
• bugfix: no more accidently selecting article during scroll in article-list
• and some other bugfixes

If you haven't tried ReadOnTouch Pro it is an application that allows you to save online articles for reading offline later. The application uses the Pocket service to give you the ability to click a bookmark on your computer browser and to immediately have that article sent to your BlackBerry PlayBook.

Sometimes I’m just amazed at the CrackBerry community. We are all downloading apps that are useful to us, and at the same time helping developers reach their goals and realize that the BlackBerry platform is where the potential is. If you haven’t had a chance to read the full review of ReadOnTouch Pro, you can do so here. ReadOnTouch Pro is available in BlackBerry App World and is currently priced at $1.99.

Purchase ReadOnTouch Pro for the BlackBerry Playbook

If you’re searching through BlackBerry App World on your PlayBook for a decent Google Reader app, I’m sure you’ve come across a few of them that are really top quality. But as I was doing the same yesterday, I tried out a few and came across on that really stood out.

NewsPile for the BlackBerry PlayBook is a fully functioning Google Reader client with a brilliant and easy to use UI. Adam took a quick look at NewsPile back in September, but I wanted to go a little more in depth and take a look at the application as a whole. Follow me after the break for the full review.

Read Full Review

If you're a fan of news feeds and reading them on your BlackBerry, you have probably used BlackBerry News at some point. Good news, Research In Motion has released an update to this application for BlackBerry, bringing it to v1.2.0.5, with performance enhancements as well as Wi-Fi support.

If you're not familiar with BlackBerry News, it makes it really easy to discover great new content. The more you use it, the better it gets at suggesting the kinds of things you like to read, do and use. And when you find something you want to share, that’s a snap too, whether it’s by email, SMS or BBM. The app is free, and available in BlackBerry App World at the link below.

More information/download BlackBerry News

Newspile is a smooth RSS reader for the BlackBerry PlayBook with a beautiful UI that works seamlessly with Google Reader. Newspile syncs both ways so what you read in the app will be marked read in Google Reader and vice versa. It also sports a clean interface, pull to refresh and lots more.

Recently updated to v1.0.4, Newspile now allows you to open a full article within your Playbook's browser by tapping the main headline. Some huge performance improvements were also made to allow for 70% faster loading of locally stored news items, 40% faster syncing, and other minor bug fixes and tweaks. This app was updated again, to v1.0.6, which brings with it the most requested feature: Integration of sharing / bookmarking services! With this update you can share the articles you love on the following platforms: Delicious, Evernote, Facebook, Google+, Instapaper, Read it Later and, of course, Twitter. The UI was given a bit of a face lift as well, making the left navigation pane bigger and neatly arranging the list navigation.

You can grab Newspile for your BlackBerry PlayBook for $2.99 at the link below.

More information/screenshots and purchase Newspile

BlackBerry News for the BlackBerry PlayBook is actually one of my favorite applications for the BlackBerry tablet. Rather than presenting all of your news items in lists of lists of lists, News shows your RSS feeds laid out like a magazine. Complete with images, headlines, and inspired layouts, BlackBerry News is a beautiful (and efficient) way of viewing your articles.

Version 1.1 brings quite a number of improvements to the application.

• Read articles are now marked as read
• Portrait mode support for all screens in application
• ‘New' content indicator on home screen
• Ability to update channels through data tethering
• Ability to switch channels while in magazine view 
• Ability to go to previous/next article in the article view
• Ability to view a feed immediately once subscribed to it 

Not only that, but the once-laborious update process - for gathering new news - appears to be much more streamlined. The app completes its updates much more quickly than before and continues to gather data even after that "updating" screen disappears. Switching between articles or feeds once required a tap of the back button. No longer; switch between articles by tapping the arrows at the bottom or between feeds by swiping down from the top.  

Version 1.1 of the BlackBerry News App for the PlayBook is a welcome and well-executed update to a wonderful free application. BlackBerry News is available to users in the United States and Canada.

Download / Update BlackBerry News App for PlayBook from BlackBerry App World

I love it! That's it; BlackBerry News is awesome. End of story; enjoy the rest of your day.

I suppose I should go into a little more detail. Just yesterday, Research In Motion released BlackBerry News for the PlayBook. If you don't know, BlackBerry News is a Really Simply Syndication (RSS) feed reader. Most RSS readers, like BlackBerry News Feeds for the BlackBerry smartphone, give you lists; lots of lists. Usually your feeds are in a list; opening a feed (like the one for CrackBerry.com) brings up a list of the most recent articles.

BlackBerry News is like no RSS reader I know. Forget lists, how about reading your articles like in a newspaper? I know that header image up there spoils a bit of the surprise, but BlackBerry News lays out articles from your feed in a format that's very easy on the eyes. Along with the headline and sometimes an image (depending on the article), you'll get a sampling of the news item; letting you quickly decide if that news is worth your time

Continue reading article

BlackBerry News Feeds, RIM's official RSS reader, saw an update back in April for BlackBerry Beta Zone members, which bumped the version number up to v1.0.1.5. Now it appears another update has been released, and everyone can download v1.0.1.7 through BlackBerry App World. If you don't have access to App World, check the forum link below for OTAs. As per normal, there is no change log for this update, so if you download it and spot some differences, let us know in the comments below or in the forums what you find! Thanks rroyy!

For more information/check for the update in App World
To discuss the changes in the forums

 

Pipeline is the BlackBerry PlayBook RSS news reader I've been looking for... almost. One of my favorite and most-used apps on my BlackBerry Torch is BlackBerry News Feeds. I enjoy the internet-at-a-glance that RSS feeds provide, with quick links to further reading on the web. With the latest improvements to that app, it has become my go-to source for quick reading about the world around me. Until recently, I sorely missed that feature on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Until recently.

Pipeline and its paid counterpart Pipeline Pro is, of course, an RSS news reader for the PlayBook. And it gives weather information. Oh, and you can follow twitter feeds with it, too. The paid version -Pipeline Pro - features offline reading (when not connected to the internet) and Google Reader integration. With its grey, black, and white color scheme, Pipeline brings the news in a simple, elegant way.

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For all you lucky BlackBerry Beta Zone members, BlackBerry News Feeds just got updated to version 1.0.1.5. BlackBerry News Feeds just got updated to version 1.0.1.5.  If you're not familiar with it, BlackBerry News Feeds is an RSS reader, designed to fetch the latest stories from your favorite blog. We've reviewed the application before and found some faults. Since then, the app experience has greatly improved.

Even before this update, developers had added better favicon support (a big deal for me), better swipy-ness, and great HTML support. How great? You can vote on CrackBerry.com Polls from within the reader.

As typical of these releases, there is no change log; but users report a number of smaller bugs have been fixed and the app seems to be starting and running more quickly. There's still that bug of a popup menu opening on touchscreen devices, but that could be because my OS isn't exactly supported. Spot any more changes? Be sure to sound off in the comments.

More information / Join the BlackBerry Beta Zone 

Last week, Research in Motion released its News Feeds to the United States and Canada. In March of 2010, RIM acquired app maker Viigo; makers of the number one RSS reader apps. News Feeds seems to be the first direct fruits of that effort. The app is very reminiscent of the Viigo news reader; you can even import your Viigo news feeds into the new app. 

Though the app works well and new feeds are simple to add, it lacks the visual appeal that newer OS6 applications have. The Social Feeds app does a much better job of presenting and navigating news feeds. But then again, not everyone can run OS6 on their device. For these people, News Feeds is a quality piece of software. For others, the simplistic style and stoic visuals will be a turn-off.

Continue reading article

Always in pursuit of the perfect RSS app to integrate with Google Reader, I can't help but get excited when a new application pops up. Feeds is the latest and I have to say it does not disappoint. It is in fact one of the best RSS apps for BlackBerry I have used to date. The simple interface provides only 4 options (download limit, image display, clear cahce and logout) and has a super clean interface. Enter your Google credentials and Feeds grabs your RSS items in a few seconds -- it even tells you how long it took to get them. Everything is spread out in an easy to read manner and all of your folders can be quickly accessed. In only the few short hours I've been using Feeds it has easily become my favorite RSS reader as it has a very low footprint, doesn't eat much memory and is dead simple to use. Check out more at the link below.

• More information/download of Feeds in BlackBerry App World >>

Still no Google Reader app for our beloved BlackBerry devices, but one solution has popped up that appears to be a good hold-over until an official Google Reader app shows up (or if it shows up). Unread was previously only available for the Storm, but has just been released for all devices running OS 5.0. The app is plain and simple, allowing you to view all of your Google Reader feeds, and it even updates read/unread status in real-time. There are a few options for tweaking Unread to your liking, allowing you to get it working to fit your needs. It automatically refreshes feeds in the background, supports full HTML and fully integrates with your Google Reader account. If you're looking for an app to get your Google Reader subscriptions on the go, Unread may be the one for you. Check it out for $4.99 in the CrackBerry App Store.

• More information and download of Unread >>

Some people love RSS feeds, others don’t. Some people want a need to have up to the minute news from a variety of sources, while others find it too much information to manage. But if you are one of the former then managing you feeds is now becoming much easier. And now you can successfully manage those feeds on your BlackBerry.

The team from NewsGator has released NewsGator Go! for BlackBerry this week. NewsGator go is application that allows you to easily organize your RSS feeds. So, now you can follow the latest news and not suffer from information overload.

You can visit the NewsGator site for a free demo version. The full version is $29.99.

Thankfully, the application works on BlackBerry OS 4.0 and is compatible with Blackberry models in the following series  -- 7100, 7200, 7500, 8100 (Pearl), 8700, 8800.

The application has a number of cool features including Intelligent Mobile Optimization, which allows you to manage anywhere from five to 500 feeds.
Optimized for the BlackBerry, everything can be managed through the track wheel allowing for easy one-hand operation. Articles are also formatted for mobile services making them easier to read.

With the NewsGator Go, you can clip and save posts, mark as read and forward interesting posts to other readers. Or you can just manage the posts so that you can discard unwanted posts and save others for later viewing.

For more information on the application visit the NewsGator site.