While RSS readers are still worth using todaythey are far from perfect. Most have a sidebar showing your article sources and how many unread articles you have in them, leaving you feeling like you need to read everything on your list. If you’re like me, you may have hundreds of unread articles at once. Maybe you’re going through a bunch of news articles hoping to whittle that number down, or submitting long essays to Instapaper so you can (forget) to read them later. I’m exaggerating how big a deal it is, but I think anyone who uses RSS regularly has run into something like this. That’s what intrigued me Currenta new RSS reader for iPhone, iPad and Mac that solves these problems like no other RSS reader I’ve seen.
Current is designed without these traditional RSS reader features. Instead, the app presents you with a selection of articles to read, filtering out old content over time so that there’s always a reasonable amount to choose from. I’ve been using Current for a few days now and I think it really solves this and other problems that many people have with RSS readers. I can already see how this will change the way I read.
Credit: Justin Pott
First big change: no unread counter. When you open the app, you’re presented with a bunch of titles that Current calls “The River.” Click on any title to start reading. Current supports reading all articles directly in the app, even when the RSS feed does not have the full text. Then, when you’re done reading, you actively “drop” the article to disappear from your list. You can also save the article for later if you like.
Credit: Justin Pott
But another key feature is that articles disappear over time without you doing anything, and you can control how quickly they disappear. Set a specific feed as “Explosive” and new posts will only stay in your stream for three hours. Set a feed as “Evergreen” and it will stay there for seven days. This spectrum allows you to fine-tune how long articles stay.
This is extremely important. It ensures that the types of articles that are likely to be worth reading a few days later stick around, while the types of articles that are meant for one particular moment disappear.
What do you think so far?
How I use Current
I write about software, which means I often try out an app, write about it, and then move on. I think Current will stick because it solves a very real problem for me – my RSS reader was too overwhelming. Current is a less stressful way for me to stay informed without burying the long reading I also want to do.
That being said, I will not stop using my RSS feed of choice, NetNewsWire. I find a traditional RSS reader very useful for keeping up with tech headlines, and this works well for my workflow. Current is a better tool for casual reading. I’ve added a mix of breaking news sources and long-form essayists to my feed. I open it when I want to spend a few minutes reading. There is always something interesting and I never feel overwhelmed. Even more importantly, the river eventually runs out of items, so I have a natural moment to switch gears and do something else.
It makes sense if you’ve tried RSS apps but didn’t stick with them. However, Current isn’t like those apps, and it can actually stay. You can purchase Current for $9.99, which gives you access to the app on all Apple platforms.
