AOL Reader Arrives In Private Beta, Sets Sights On RSS Competition [UPDATE]

As Google Reader slowly comes to a close and other developers pick up where the search giant left off, AOL looks to be joining in on the fun with an RSS news reader of their own. The former dial-up internet behemoth launched what they're creatively calling AOL Reader, which is in private beta currently.

All the information that we know right now is just a simple landing page, where it reads, "All your favorite websites, in one place." It looks like you can sign up for the chance to be selected to try it out by requesting an invite, but we're not sure how long the waiting list is, or if they're manually selecting certain users.

Unfortunately, that seems to be all the information that AOL is providing. However, taking a quick peek at the website's CSS code reveals that AOL Reader may also be coming to mobile devices, or at least a mobile-optimized webapp that users will be able to access on any device. Furthermore, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn appear to be supported for sharing articles.

Many companies are stepping up to the plate to deliver their own flavor of RSS aggregation. Feedly is one of the most popular choices right now, but there many others aiming to become the perfect choice as well, including Digg, which has yet to publicly release their version, but it's coming next week.

You can check out our list of some of the best alternatives to Google Reader, but after it's all said and done, nothing will most likely replace Google Reader. We liked its simplicity and easy navigation, and while it was a bit buggy at times, we're not sure if another new reader could match Google Reader's intuitiveness, but we're open for the challenge.

UPDATE: AOL has confirmed its Google Reader replacement, and announced that it will be launching on Monday via a clever Vine post.

VIA: The Next Web