AOL Reader beta now live on the web

New RSS reader hopes to scoop up Google Reader refugees no mobile apps yet though

As promised last week, starting today you can request an invite to the new AOL Reader,the internet giant's entry into the world of RSS. A week ahead of the planned Google Reader shutdown date, AOL's hoping to scoop up new user accounts by targeting Reader refugees. Using an existing AOL account, or single sign-in through Google, Twitter or Facebook, the AOL Reader beta is open to anyone and everyone a simple email address verification is the only barrier to entry.

Once you're signed in you'll need to import your stuff from Reader, a process which involves the use of Google Takeout rather than a direct data import, the approach used by Feedly and others. After uploading your subscriptions.xml file, you're presented with a clean, simple interface for following your feeds. There's a wide array of keyboard shortcuts, and the interface can be switched between dark and light mode depending on your preference. We had a few issues uploading our XML file the first time around, however closing and re-opening the browser window seemed to fix things.

Once your stuff is imported, you're looking at your Google Reader feeds in a very Google Reader-like interface, albeit one with a snappier, more modern appearance and easier social sharing features. However attractive its web interface, AOL Reader is put at a distinct disadvantage by its present lack of mobile apps. Native Android and iOS clients are promised for the future, but right now it's web-only on both mobile and desktop.

If you want to take a closer look, you can sign up for AOL Reader on the web now. For more details, check out iMore's first-look walkthrough.

Via: AOL Reader beta now live on the web