Byline, Native iPhone RSS Reader, Reviewed and Dissected

If you are like most of us Miso Soupheads then chances are you double as both a Google and Apple aficionado and are all over Google Reader on your iPhone. While the Google Reader web interface is pretty snazzy in Mobile Safari it does not compare to accessing web-based services from within a native iPhone app. This is where Byline by Phantom Fish comes in to play – it’s a native iPhone RSS reader designed to synchronize with Google Reader – and it is just what the doctor ordered!

Finding the right native RSS reader on the iPhone is a tough job, especially if you are heavily invested in Google Reader. There are not many RSS applications to begin with, and an even smaller subset supports the ability to connect up to Google Reader. I briefly touched on an earlier version of Byline when I spoke about five iPhone apps I can not live without.

What makes Byline so slick is its seamless integration with Google Reader on a number of levels. Not only is Byline capable of pulling down all your Google Reader subscriptions but it will flawlessly display your most recent unread items, synchronizing all the items you’ve read with Google so the next time you use the web-based version you will be right where you expect.

The synchronization behavior works as advertised and expected. The most recent version of Byline, v2.5, has decreased the amount of time required to synchronize subscriptions. The updated code allows you to get knee deep in your RSS feeds in no time, unlike the previous version, which could take upwards of five minutes to fully synchronize.

When you first login to Byline, after a complete sync, you are presented with the folder view based on your Google Reader folder setup. Tapping through to a folder presents the user with one of two view – either a complete list of all unread items in the folder, sorted by date -or- a complete list of sources in the folder with unread items sorted by date. Byline essentially offers the ability to view all or by feed.

Reading an article is as simple as tapping on the preview displayed once viewing a particular folder. What sets Byline apart from most of the competition are the ability to star, share or share with note, just as if you were in Google Reader. Star an item in Byline, synchronize things and hop on the web and you can see what you just starred. It’s as simple as that!

Byline has embedded Mobile Safari, allowing web pages to be displayed directly within the app. Reading an article and clicking a link merely displays the web page from within the app – no need to exit Byline to launch a full version of Mobile Safari. Once you are in Byline and reading your unread feed items there is no need to exit until you are finished.

There are a number of customizable settings for Byline located in the iPhone Settings app. Byline offers the capability to be used in landscape mode, setting the number of unread items displayed per folder, caching and a few other sundry settings. The app has a fair bit of flexibility to meet most peoples needs.

One thing about Byline v2.5 I adore is the updated interface and icon. I was not a fan of the wood theme nor did I like the previous icon – I felt the latter was horribly ugly and the former quite distracting. By opting to go the plain jane black interface route, I find reading RSS feeds a whole lot easier. The interface no longer gets “in the way” of reading.

The application is not without some quirks. Although the initial synchronization is substantially improved, there are still some times when it can take far longer than expected to complete a sync with the Google Reader servers. I imagine the developers are trying their best to reconcile this but it does appear to be randomly erratic.

One other issue that bugs me is if all the “cache web pages” options are turned off, Byline constantly asks for my password upon launch. I do not want to have to continuously type in my password – this should be saved in keychain unless I’ve opted not to save my credentials.

Overall, Byline is an exceptional Google Reader based RSS feed reader for the iPhone. It is well worth the semi-pricey $4.99, especially if you are heavily reliant on Google Reader to feed your reading habits. If you were on the fence about the competition, definitely go with Byline – the developer seems fairly responsive and has produced a quality product you’re sure to enjoy!