Google Reader = kinda meh

The next of a wave of rapid-fire unveilings, Google released the beta version of it's RSS reader called (oddly enough) Google Reader.

Now, as you may or may not know about me, I'm a huge fan of Google. They write software that is without equal and, the vast majority of the time, give it away for free. Gmail, Google News, Google Earth, Google Talk, Google Desktop and (of course) their unparalleled search engine (which now offers a really cool personalized view). All of these apps have simple, powerful user interfaces and just kick ass. If you haven't used any/all of them, try them and see for yourself. But Google Reader, on the other hand...

The interface is, at best, clunky. It's not terribly intuitive and offers very little control. It does have (of course) some pretty cool search functionality for finding syndicated content - and adding subscriptions is super simple. I guess I'm just used to Google's UIs being ridiculously easy to use and this one really isn't.

Now, it is just in beta and they could always change it. I really hope they do.