Digg Reader's launch comes less than a week before Google is slated to kill its beloved Google Reader product, which pulls in news feeds from just about every news site on the Web.
Digg works much the same way.
Since Google's announcement, many developers and companies, including AOL, have tried to fill in the hole that will be left by Google Reader.
With the exception of Feedly, none have come close to Digg's app. Digg Reader places focus on the content and gets everything else out of the way. The iPhone and iPad apps along with the Web version are very minimal and use a clean design.
Digg plans to release new features and integration with other services like Evernote in the future, but for now it's a great replacement if you can't stand to be without a digital news reader.
We got the chance to take a look at the iPhone app and Web version ahead of the general release. Here's what you can expect.
You can sign up to try Digg Reader here. The iPhone and iPad apps will be available soon.
Once you open the Digg app you'll be asked if you want to receive Push Notifications. Tap OK or Don't Allow to continue.
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The first thing you'll notice is stream of the site's most popular stories.
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If you tap the top left icon this drawer will slide out. From here you can browse stories you "Digg" along with your saved articles. The new feature lets you import your Google Reader feed. Tap "Import Google Reader" to continue.
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Since we already set up our feed on the web, all we needed to do was sign in with Twitter, otherwise you'll have to sign in with your Google account.
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The app will ask to access your Twitter account through iOS. Tap OK to continue.
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When you return to the side tray you'll see the sites and blogs that you follow.
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Scrolling through your feed is very neat, clear, and easy to navigate. The photos next to articles are a nice visual touch.
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The check mark in the top right corner lets you mark all the articles as read.
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Articles look really clean and are easy to digest. Digg removes all the clutter.
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Controls at the top of the article let you "digg" it, bookmark it, and share on social networks.
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Sharing is via the traditional outlets like email, messages, and Twitter. The "save to Instapaper" button is a nice feature if you're already a Instapaper user.
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There are a ton of settings you can play around with to tweak the app to your liking.
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Another neat feature is the Display Settings. If you want the app to automatically adjust screen brightness switch "Auto" on. You can also play around with text sizes.
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You can log into your favorite read it later service and pick how you want to shorten URLs.
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Here's one last view of the RSS feed. We really like how minimal Digg was with its design.
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Digg has also added the new RSS feature to its website. You currently can get to it though the Settings page on digg.com. It's right up in the top left corner.
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Here's what the reader looks like. Just like the app, the site is very minimal. The content is at the center of your screen and settings are neatly placed in the top right corner.
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If the visual look isn't your thing, you can switch to a list of stories.
Kevin Smith is Business Insider's former app expert. His coverage focused on mobile apps, consumer software, tablets, smartphones, and accessories.Kevin also covered entertainment, music, and men's style for Business Insider. Keep up with Kevin by following him on Twitter www.twitter.com/OfficialKLS.
