Feed Wheel 1.3.0 Update

A new bug fix release is on the way that includes updated support for
BlackBerry Tablet OS 1.0.6.

This release also fixes crashes due to:

• Missing time data in posts
• Missing/bad URL formats

Feed Wheel 1.2.3 Update

Minor bug fixes are now available on the BlackBerry App World. Many thanks to all the bug reports and feedback people have submitted to the support forum.

• Fixed text encoding issues in article summary view causing some characters to render incorrectly
• Fixed application hanging with additional error handling for missing authors data in articles
• Support for RDF-formatted feeds

Feed Wheel Walthough

Check out the latest Feed Wheel video. This time, with narration.

Feedback and Support

I've gotten really positive feedback so far. I want to take a second and point users to the support forum I've setup at Google Groups http://groups.google.com/group/feed-wheel. Please post your thoughts, questions and suggestions there. I'm putting together the first bug fix release in the next week or so (pending RIM review of course).

Feed Wheel for BlackBerry Playbook - Now Available

Feed Wheel for the BlackBerry Playbook is now available for free for a limited time from the BlackBerry App World. [App World Link]

Check out the very first demo video and updated screen shots.

Feed Wheel 1.2

Version 1.2 adds several new features and a brand new look and feel. Here are the highlights:

• Buttons positioned on the sides of the screen for most comfortable positioning
• New Up/Down arrow and Select button for moving around the article list
• Scroll wheel is now invisible, vertically centered toward the edge of the article list. This helps free up space to see the article preview image and title. A glowing orange circle will indicate when the scroll wheel is active.
• Reload single feed
• Reload all subscriptions
• Swipe down menu for sorting newest/oldest and showing all/unread
• Settings for enabling scroll wheel and sound
• Settings for automatically reading the selected article while scrolling
• Other bug fixes

Built for Tablets

Feed Wheel is built specifically with the tablet form factor in mind. First, I considered the physical size of the device. Second, I designed the interface and the placement of the on screen controls based on the different ways you might hold a tablet. Not just landscape and portrait mode, but also which hand you're using for primary navigation vs. which hand is choosing an action. Let's dive in!

Action Bar

Action Bar

The Action Bar is at the bottom of the screen. This just happens to be where the palms of your hands are when you're holding a tablet. These buttons are much easier to reach than if they were aligned to the top of the screen. The idea is that you can hold the tablet in the most comfortable, balanced position while still having access to most of the functionality.

Left, Right, Undecided?

Scroll wheel control can be repositioned using the hand button.

Using the hand icon in the action bar, you can swap the position of the article list and the article view. When you do this, the action bar buttons swap too. The scroll wheel is positioned along the edge of the screen in both cases, always right next to your thumb.