Try This: The Feed. Gorgeous new iPad news reader

TNW Quick Hit

The Feed is a Google Reader client for your iPad which lets one decide how to consume news.

Hits: Wonderful design,

Misses: The first release of the app can be a bit buggy, with occasional crashes.  No Instapaper support at present.

Overall: 4.5/5

The Details:

Reading news is one of, if not, the thing I enjoy doing most on the iPad.  Initially I was hooked on Early Edition but quickly tired of it.  Reeder replaced Early Edition until my favorite news reader, River of News, was released.  While not ready to rid myself of River of News, a new app, The Feed (free), may soon become my default news reader of choice.

Why?  First, the price.  It’s FREE.  Yes, I’m cheap.  Early Edition and Reeder are both $4.99, while River of News is $3.99.  A hefty price for apps that do no more than aggregate news and allow you to share stories you find interesting.

The Feed is not only free, but features a terrific design reminiscent of Pulse, while offering sharing features that rival the more expensive counterparts listed above.

After launching the app and syncing your Google Reeder account, the super slick display presents itself with all of one’s feeds.

The Feed’s interface offers one an overview of everything on the menu, along with a versatile filtering system and two different zoom levels.  Further, The Feed uses proportionately sized stacks to illustrate your read and unread items, a grand feature.

Should one find something they wish to share, The Feed allows one to do just that.  One can share on Google Reader, Facebook, Twitter, email, or simply copy the URL.

The Feed is, without a doubt, a great reader for the iPad.  Version 1.0 does have occasional crashes, and Instapaper support is needed, hopefully these will come in time.  That said, if you like news reader apps on your iPad and seek the best of the best, you’d be hard pressed to find one as grand as The Feed.