Review: NewsBreak for WM06

[Stillrockin]

One app that I really loved with the Palm OS was Quicknews . I am talking a very complete RSS Newsreader that did a great job of retrieving news and podcasts from web sites that I was interested in. So when I knew I was making the move to a WM platform, I knew there were certain apps that I would want to replace the ones I used for Palm. Enter Newsbreak ! Since I have made the switch, this app and my email have probably been used more than any other on my device. I tried several newsreader apps before deciding on this one however. And I must admit that there are several good choices out there when it comes to newsreaders.

One very cool feature about NewsBreak is the ability for it to auto-update. You can't specify a time, but you can specify a timeframe. So when I have a chance to get caught up on my news interests, its not like I have to go update the news articles and then start reading. There are a few newsreaders out there for both Palm and WM that are missing this crutial feature.

Another necessary is the ability to search for your news interests, and this is really the feature that won me over to this particular app! It seemed that searching in Quicknews was a hit or miss adventure when looking for particular feeds. But so far, "Livesearch" has been very accurate in helping locate exactly the feeds I am looking for. If I don't want to use Livesearch, I have the option of using Syndic8.com. Newsbreak also gives you the ability to import OPML files, or choose from the list of Newsbreak's own built in Channels which lean heavily to mobile tech, and that is certainly not a problem with me!

But Newsbreak also gives you the ability to grab podcasts! So many times, I will pick out two or three to listen to, and download them. Then later on, I grab my headphones and while I am doing things such as housework, or yardwork, I take in things such as "This week in Tech, or Wired Magazine. All and all, this is a very nice application, as the ability to run in the background, auto-update and keep me informed is just hard to beat. Also, suddenly I am pretty interested in any article that mentions "HTC" or "TyTN II" then I tell it to flag me if any updates show these tag-words in the content. Very nice! The menu options seem to be complete and make this a solid choice for a news reader. Also, this reader supports images so you have the ability to see content that includes photos. All and all, a very solid reader and I am enjoying it very much!
A few Screenshots: