

Feed Wrangler - a modern, sustainable RSS reader - mike
http://www.feedwrangler.net/welcome.html

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frio
I can't see any screenshots, link to a demo, etc. Asking for $18 up front with
no indication of quality is a bit rough.

~~~
mike
Some screenshots of the web site and the app in the review here
[http://www.macstories.net/reviews/feed-wrangler-a-new-rss-
re...](http://www.macstories.net/reviews/feed-wrangler-a-new-rss-reader-with-
smart-streams-filters-read-later-integration/)

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xpose2000
This is one of the worst first impressions for a service that I can recall. .
.

My theory is that you started this app when Google Reader was discontinued.
You then hastily put together whatever you could as fast as you could. Perhaps
outsourced on elance or a similar website. Then slapped on a yearly price of
18.99 a year to capitalize on a hectic time.

I'm generally pretty nice with my comments on here, but this is ridiculous.

~~~
gphreak
The author, David Smith, is not an unknown force in the iOS development
community and usually releases products that feel like he cared for them and
sustains them with regular updates.

He talked about FeedWrangler on his Podcast, Developing Perspective, and while
I can't verify his claims that he already had started the project he really
seems to be a very nice guy and a competent developer.

The reviews seem to back this up. Also, he will offer a refund in case you are
not happy with the result.

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Samuel_Michon
Looks great, but the service I’ll switch to from GReader must have an export
feature. There’s no mention of one on the site, even though it’s obviously
written for GReader users, who have realized by now that whenever you sign up
for a service, you have to first look for the emergency exit.

~~~
cledet
It's on the welcome page. Under on the bullet point "Seamless".

~~~
Samuel_Michon
Nope, that only mentions importing from GReader. I’m talking about exporting
from Feed Wrangler.

\- I want a backup so that I still have my data if FeedWrangler crashes.

\- I want a backup so that I can pack up and leave if FeedWranglet leaks my
password or other user data

\- I want a backup so that I can switch to a different service in case
FeedWrangler goes bankrupt or is acquired.

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quanticle
Echoing the comments of others, I'd really like to see a trial. One of the
things that appealed to me about Newsblur (and eventually got me to upgrade to
a paid account) is that I could try it out and see if it supported my workflow
before I committed cash to it.

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ScottWhigham
When I think about the target market for an RSS reader at any price point, I
think that "technical" is the first descriptive word. Someone has to know a
bit about "tech" to even know to use RSS, for example. When you put a "$19 per
year" price tag on it, you really are polarizing your market to be "only those
who are completely addicted to RSS". Which is fine - nothing wrong with niche
marketing/products. But let's talk about those potential users...

The average RSS "user" doesn't spend $19 per year on an RSS reader. Most used
Google Reader or another free version. Some, like me, spent $30 on FeedDemon
(one time cost). I would put myself in the "addicted to RSS" group for sure.

Your hard core, addicted RSS people in 2013 have spent 5+ years, I bet, using
RSS. So when someone who is an RSS junkie looks at the price point, they
think, "I've used Google Reader for ten years and it's been free. I'm looking
for a replacement that will hopefully last at least five years, maybe ten.
This service is $19 per year - that's almost $100 over the next five years..."
If you are charging someone $100 for the service, then you'd better "bring
it". This page/site just doesn't do that, and it doesn't do it so
spectacularly that it calls into question the entire product. Sorry but I
think this needed a few more weeks to really get it together before launching
it.

* Oh sure, there are always some who don't take such a long term view - "I'll just try it for a year." If that's your approach to marketing, cool. You'll miss out on the really smart and technical users, I think, but that may be best actually. It's fairly logical to think "Things that appeal to the really hardcore users" and "Things that appeal to the mass market" are quite different.

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perishabledave
Just to share another alternative: <http://feedbin.me/> It has support for
Silvio Rizzi's Reeder already, or rather Reeder has support for it. Looks
promising, though I haven't tried it out.

~~~
jalada
+1 for Feedbin. Simple UI, works well, Reeder integration is a good bonus,
though the mobile web-app isn't too shabby.

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jalada
I'm definitely going to give this a try, because filtering sounds like an
interesting concept, and I might find some inspiration...

For those still seeking new RSS reading experiences (and because I think HN
tends to be OK with self-promotion in comments) I'd like to suggest my product
- <http://www.rivered.io>. It's a bit different - focusing on a clean 'river
of news' rather than inbox style or categorising. To directly answer some of
the questions around FeedWrangler:

\- it has an OPML export feature. \- it has a free 30 day trial, and you can
at least see what it looks like without dropping your card details. \- there's
a screenshot.

I still think there's a lot of innovation to be done around RSS feeds...

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supercoder
What about this makes it inherently 'sustainable'.

Sure, the pricing model makes it easy to see where the money is coming from,
but that doesnt immediately make it sustainable.

There's still a critical mass of people that are needed to make the service
first pay for itself, and then profitable, and then profitable enough for this
guy to maintain it for the next X years.

If it makes 'ok' money and he gets bored of it and shuts it down in a year,
that's not sustainable to me, and I can't see evidence otherwise why this
might not happen.

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stugs
I keep mousing over these features for screenshots or a demo video...

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druiid
I'm still looking for a good replacement Windows app. I currently use
FeedDemon, which uses Google. I haven't heard/seen anything about similar
applications that use any of these new services out there.

~~~
ScottWhigham
Nick said in March that he's going to come out with a final version of
FeedDemon that does not use Google in any way. I still use FeedDemon and will
until it just won't work anymore. I like the way it works and loathe (a)
learning a new web site/service, and then (b) having it inevitably
change/cancel.

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weisser
I don't see anything about a trial period on the site. This sounds really
promising but I'm hesitant to spend money without seeing it in action.

~~~
mike
David (the author) has stated on Twitter that there is currently no trial, but
you can request an instant refund if not happy in the first 14 days
<https://twitter.com/_DavidSmith/status/329238071717535746>

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Amarandei
You want $20 for a product this ugly and with no demo? No freaking way.

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dllthomas
Android support?

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supercoder
Is this the new 'First!' in comments on Apps ?

~~~
dllthomas
No, this is "I might be interested in your product. Is there support for my
device in the foreseeable future? The page didn't seem to specify."

