Zite joins parties offering Google Reader stopgaps
updated 03:25 pm EDT, Fri March 15, 2013
Developers left scrambling as service disappears
The developer of the news aggregation app Zite has created a workaround for the upcoming shutdown of Google Reader, according to an announcement. A Google Reader section in Zite can now provide basic feed reading without using Google's infrastructure. Several limitations exist however; not every RSS feed has been indexed, for instance, and there's currently no way to edit feeds without changing settings on Google's end and relinking.
The Reader section won't appear in the app until the app is restarted or another category is added, and there's no way of syncing short of relinking. Folders are likewise missing. Zite says that it's looking to fix some of these problems, which in the case of folders may potentially involve eliminating the need for them.
Google's plans to disable Reader have prompted a number of companies to look for alternatives. Digg for example is planning on creating its own reader and API, while Feedly has created a clone of the Google Reader API, dubbed Normandy.
