Sismics Reader

With the Internet connecting individuals all around the world and being one of the most commonly used multimedia gateways, news make no exception. A popular and practical mode of obtaining the latest headlines is through RSS feeds, with applications such as Sismics Reader letting you fully configure news of interest so you stay up to date.

The application comes in a light package and after running it, you can access it from the system tray icon. This is only a means of establishing and keeping connection to the server alive, the application being dependent of a web browser in order to run.

Compatibility is not an issue, since the web browser is only used as a means of navigating through what the application has to offer. Once the server is started, which you can configure from the system tray icon control panel, you can bring up the reader in a new tab of your default browser, at the press of a button.

You need to create an account, which is deployed locally and used so that only you have access to feeds. Multiple ones can be created in case more individuals use the same computer. In terms of visuals, elements are appealing, with a side panel providing quick access to categories and options to add entries.

There are no preset sources so you need to spend some time to gather up preferred RSS feed URLs. The next step is to create new folders and arrange them in the side panel to populate with feeds of interest.

Several view types let you make the list compact, or view headlines in a slightly more detailed list entry. What's more, if you stumble upon news you consider worth sharing, this is possible by pressing dedicated buttons to send via email or your Facebook, Twitter and Google+ account.

You can mark favorite items to later read or save in a dedicated favorites folder. Moreover, the application automatically retrieves latest headlines and there's even a notification in the web browser tab title, displaying the number of new items.

Taking everything into consideration, we come to the conclusion that Sismics Reader is a handy news application you can use to stay up to date with events all around the world. It's highly suitable if you spend most of your time on a web browser, with clever notification, quick updates, and various sharing possibilities.