As the Google Reader era slowly comes to an end, other news aggregation apps and websites are racing to find a new API that will allow them to continue their services.
It's a good thing, then, that Feedly, one of the frontrunners to replace Google Reader, has joined forces with several other apps to create just that.
Feedly announced Monday that they've gained support from RSS feeds Reeder, gReader, Press, Nextgen and Newsify as part of their Normandy project. These companies will work together to create a new programming interface that they'll be able to use once Google shuts its Google Reader API down on July 1.
Feedly has been working on an API that's a clone of Google Reader's and runs off of the Google App Engine in order to make the transition between services relatively easy for users and developers alike. If Feedly can successfully create an API similar to Google Reader's, chances are other apps will support them too, and the company says that users will be able to access their feedly accounts from the five apps and more before Google Reader expires.
In March, Google announced that it would be shutting down Google Reader despite its many dedicated users due to an overall decline in usage since it launched in 2005. Google Reader (and sites like it who use its API to function) aimed to make organizing and managing different sites easier by putting each site's updates into one space, personalized by each user to suit their interests. As the expiration date nears, other companies are working hard to create an API they can use to continue their services.
However, Feedly isn't just working on software development for other services to use - they're also working to improve their user's experience with their site as well. After listening to user suggestions, Feedly is actively enhancing their product's speed, search features, compatibility with Windows Phone and Windows 8, and they're fixing minor bugs throughout the service.
Feedly is available online or as an app for iOS and Android devices and is hoping to replace Google Reader as a major news aggregation service. Since Google's announcement in March, Feedly has gained 3 million new users, 68 percent of whom have become regular weekly users according to the service.
