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Last fall, Avantgo, one of the oldest mobile Internet services, introduced a beta RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feature to greatly expand the amount of content available to users. The new service enables consumers to view RSS subscriptions on their PDA or smartphone, online and offline. Today, the free Avantgo add-on is now generally available.

RSS shortcourse: RSS is an XML format for syndicating Web content. A Website that wants to allow other sites to publish some of its content creates an RSS document and registers the document with an RSS publisher. Syndicated content can include news feeds, events listings, feature stories, headlines, project updates, excerpts from discussion forums or even corporate information.

With RSS for AvantGo users can add any RSS feed to their account, without installing additional software, and then synchronize using a wireless or desktop Internet connection to receive the feed items in a format optimized for their device. It requires no additional software, as optimization takes place completely on Avantgo's servers. You must install the AvantGo 5.7 client, however.



Create RSS Channel on Your Handheld

Avantgo product manager Jon Asmussen told PDAStreet when the RSS beta was launched, "As RSS adoption continues to rise, more and more people are looking for RSS reader solutions for their smartphones or PDAs."

"AvantGo's solution is unique. We now provide a single solution for consuming RSS and the 1000+ channels already available through our service. There's no additional software to install, it's free and it works online or offline," he added.

With AvantGo for RSS, users can view new RSS feeds, save RSS items, personalize channels, and subscribe to RSS feeds with AvantGo's AutoChannel for RSS.

Avantgo touts photo sharing for its new RSS service. So if an RSS feed channel includes photos, a Slideshow link will appear at the top of the channel homepage. Users can select the Slideshow link to flip through the photos in the feed. Since photos are already delivered to the device during AvantGo syncs, users can share pictures from their mobile device without waiting for each image to be retrieved over the wireless network. Users of photo sharing sites that offer photo feeds can make AvantGo their mobile photo album.

Internet content publishers—such as bloggers, online media and magazines—can use an AvantGo button creation tool to generate code for a button to place on their Website, making it easier for readers to take the site's feed mobile.



Get a AvantGo Button for Your Site's RSS Feed

RSS works with Avantgo’s usual array of supported device platforms, including Palm, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Symbian UIQ and Symbian v6.1 Series 60. Although Avantgo added Research In Motion BlackBerry wireless handhelds to the list last year, it appears these devices aren’t be compatible with the RSS feed feature.

"We were very pleased with the results of the beta test on AvantGo for RSS. Our subscribers have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback," said Neil Versen, senior director, AvantGo at iAnywhere. "AvantGo is not only free but also enables access to feeds both online and offline-a feature that our subscribers indicated was one of the most important requirements in choosing a mobile RSS reader."