Google spices up Reader with Play

SEEMINGLY RESPONDING to a resounding 'meh' reaction to its Reader application, Google has announced a new experimental add-on called Google Reader Play.

Google's Reader is a web and content aggregator that as yet is still only in beta. It can be used to keep on top of your own bookmarks and also as a way of sharing content with your friends and contacts. Google has described it as a visual way to browse the web, or if you prefer, your RSS feeds.

According to Garrett Wu, software engineer at the firm, Google Reader Play is designed to make Reader more accessible, and easier to use and try. So we tried it and it did not work. Easy to try yes. Easy to use. No.

If it had worked for us we would have been able to quickly scroll through items, according to Wu, using a film strip like user interface. We looked at this for a while, along with a spinning 'loading' image, but called it a Google Reader Day after a quarter of an hour.

Unlike Reader you do not need to set up a list of feeds to follow. Instead, Reader Play will learn from your browsing history, according to Wu, who said, "Reader Play adapts to your tastes -- as you browse, you can let us know which stuff you enjoy by clicking the "like" button, and we'll use that info to show you more items we think you'll like. If you want, you can also choose categories, and we'll personalise your stream to only show you stuff from those categories."

There is still some work to be done to make Reader Play appealing, particularly by Wu, who closes by saying, "To be clear, Reader Play isn't intended to replace Google Reader: both Google Reader and Reader Play are about finding and reading interesting stuff online. In essence, Reader Play is a different view of Reader. It's designed to be a fun and easy way to browse interesting items, while Reader is a highly customisable way to organise your feeds."

Just be the clear then, Reader Play is not designed to be fun. µ