TechCrunch is reporting on a new version of AOL’s feed reader that is in the works. I know what you’re thinking. AOL has a feed reader!?!
Apparently you and I are not the only ones to have glossed over the fact that AOL launched a feed reader back in 2005, so that’s why the company is giving it a revamp in the hopes that it will do as well as Google Reader in gaining market share.
The new AOL reader is not out yet, but Michael Arrington’s seen a demo and reports…
The product will be called myAOL Favorites.
It’s still fast. They’ve added support for rich media and useful Ajax tricks to make organizing feeds easier. They’ve fixed problems like lack of OPML support as well.
But what I like best about it is that they’ve integrated a new bookmarks product in with the feed reader. The folders are integrated into a single view. Feeds in one folder area in the left sidebar, bookmarks in another.
The question is, can they compete with Google? Not in a technical way, but with branding. Bloglines was the reader of choice, until Google decided to enter the game, and look what’s happened to its market share since. It’s not that Google always develops the best product, it’s just that we assume it’s the best product, based upon their success with search. Google gets very far by just being Google.
