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RSS READER RIVALRY

Google's recent announcement that it's putting Google Reader out to pasture in July has got rival Chinese RSS services chomping at the bit. For the uninitiated, RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, allows you to subscribe to articles, video, audio and other content from websites that interest you, and aggregates it all in one easy-to-browse place where it's automatically updated. The demise of Google Reader, which has dominated in China (though quality is reputed to be patchy and content is of course controlled), leaves a gap in the market that domestic services are eager to fill.

On the international scene, we have plenty of alternatives: NewsBlur, FeedReader, Netvibes. But what other Chinese RSS readers are there?

[NB: these are Chinese-language sites, though perfectly happy to aggregate your English-language content.]

Xianguo - the web service

Xianguo, meaning "fresh fruit", has been around since 2007 and unlike other RSS readers it's not owned by a tech giant. Technode reports that the service has several million users, many high profile partners such as Baidu and Alibaba, and an increasing focus on mobile.

The service is web-based and you can sign up with your Sina, Tencent or Renren ID, or make a new account.

Because I logged in with a Gmail email address, I was immediately given the option of importing my subscriptions from Google Reader. In fact it wasn't so much a suggestion as a command. I slightly reluctantly granted access and my saved settings popped up.

Whereas many Chinese websites tend to be cluttered, Xianguo is devilishly simple. Click on the plus button to add new sites to your list (those on the right are recommendations). Click on list entries on the left side to open headlines for up to 200 new articles from any given source at a time.

Each new article opens in a new window on the website of origin. You can bookmark stuff in Favourites. It's not sophisticated, and there are no photos nor article abstracts, but it does the job. Google Reader, though, it ain't.

NetEase Cloud Reader - the app

An RSS reader app for iOS and Android is one of the many services offered by the multi-faceted internet giant, NetEase, along with the web portal 163.com, a popular search engine, translator, dictionary and a "smart food assistant" app featuring an animated chicken (talk about diversification).

Its RSS reader is reminiscent of Flipboard, offering you a shop window of magazine-style covers representing the digital publications you've picked to browse. Content is categorised into News, Visual Arts, Tech, Fashion, Shopping and more. Click on the red cross in the top right corner to add more.

Clicking on a photo takes you to a roundup of articles from that publication and once you've picked what you want to read, sharing it on social networks such as Weibo and Weixin is easy peasy. You can also make notes on what you read and bookmark content with the star to keep in the cloud and read later.

Anecdotal evidence suggests NetEase's Cloud Reader is the most popular RSS app of its kind currently available in China. Navigation is intuitive, the search function smart. This is what Xianguo should be aiming for.

Sina Reader - the client

Sina's RSS reader is a Win-only client: download it here. It brands itself as an "information platform" but "relic" would be more appropriate. It looks hideous, like email circa 1995 and won't jive with Windows 7 default language packs, which means the interface is peppered with question marks. Support for widgets is non-existent. It also brings up annoying alerts in the system tray (more question marks).