Section 2.3. Other Cunning Techniques


2.3. Other Cunning Techniques

The PC isn't the only way to access a feed. Due to the lightweight XML nature of RSS and Atom, many other devices and conduits can use the formats to deliver information.

2.3.1. Mobile Devices

PDAs, mobile phones, and the incessant merging of the two can't escape the power of RSS and Atom:

  • PocketPC (http://www.happyjackroad.com/AtomicDB/pocketpc/pocketRSS/pocketRSS.asp)

  • Hand/RSS (http://standalone.com/palmos/hand_rss/) is a nice, nonfree but with a 30-day trial, RSS feed for Palm devices.

  • mobilerss (http://www.mobilerss.net) isn't an application per se but a service for turning RSS feeds into HTML simple enough to read on any mobile device's browser. It's built on the MagpieRSS parser shown in Chapter 8.

  • The FeedBurner Mobile Feed Reader (http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/mfr) comes from the same people who provide the FeedBurner service detailed in Chapter 9. It should run on any of the latest mobile devices compatible with the J2ME MIDP 2.0/CLDC1.0 platform.

2.3.2. Email Clients

If you'd rather get your RSS through your already convenient email software, you're not alone. A number of tools will make this easy:

  • IzyNews (http://izynews.com/de/default.aspx?) sets up RSS feeds as unread messages in an IMAP directory. It requires some server-side setup, but it's perfect for a corporate environment with locked-down desktop machines.

  • NewsGator Outlook Edition (http://www.newsgator.com/outlook.aspx) is an RSS reader extension for Microsoft Outlook. Many people swear by it, and it features synchronization with an online version for when you're away from your main machine.

2.3.3. Feed-Based Search Engines

For anyone wanting to start a search engine, RSS and Atom are godsent. It's no surprise that a handful of search engines have started up fed solely by syndication feeds. They're usually based around weblogs and the news sites that publish feeds, and can be extraordinarily up to date.

  • Feedster (http://www.feedster.com/) is the original, and perhaps the best. It claims to index close to one million feeds.

  • Medlogs (http://www.medlogs.com/) is a good example of feeds powering a specialist search engine. This one aggregates medical news.

  • Bulkfeeds (http://bulkfeeds.net/) is much like a smaller Feedster, only based in Japan and concentrating on Japanese feeds. It's a fine example of the internationalization of feed technology.



    Developing Feeds with RSS and Atom
    Developing Feeds with Rss and Atom
    ISBN: 0596008813
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2003
    Pages: 118

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