Google Reader: Not Ready For My Primetime

Lots of folks are jumping up and down about the latest update to Google Reader. After checking it out on a couple of machines (one running Vista RC1 and one with XP) it is not ready for my primetime. First, it is just slow. I see the hourglass while it is loading feeds for far too long. Second, I get quite a bit of crazy screen disruption when reading feeds. This behavior is totally random.

Third, I really hate the whole interface of using the j and k keys to navigate among feeds. Give me a break.

Fourth, marking all threads as read on days you just can't get to your feeds is far too tedious a process.

Good things: The sharing feature is nice, if you want to create a sharing page, (translate maintain another blog and another feed, that I'm sure Google will figure out how to monetize some day.) Another nice feature is the mobile version which, due to its stripped down interface for smaller screens doesn't have many of the problems I've mentioned above.

We'll see what happens down the road, but for now, I'll stick with Bloglines.