How I read 32 books worth of articles last year (Hint: I didn’t do it at work)
I was not going to carry and read 32 books worth of random digital news articles with me on the subway this past year. Luckily, I did not have to go full analog to quench my curiosity for Particle Physics while crammed next to some dude on my morning commute. So, how did I manage this? I used the free app, Pocket, and I liked it so much; I was in the top 1% regarding user activity.
What’s the problem?
If you are like me- you do not have a ton of time to read the meat behind the crazy amount of headlines seen throughout the day, but you would like to. You also probably don’t want to do this on a monitor since you are banging out emails and spreadsheets like it’s your job- since it is. Anyway, besides all that, you’re totally fine reading on your phone- as long as whatever it is, is readable and free of advertisements. Boo laggy advertisements.
So, just bookmark it and save it for later, right? For some people, that would work, and it did for me for a while. Until I had so many links saved that I began organizing types of content into a ton of different folders filled with links. Then, I wanted to read offline, and I would have to print up articles which took time as I would have to format the text to make, so it did not include all the random website links and other garbage.
What do I want?
At the end of the day, all I wanted was content at my finger tips that I did not have to be connected to the net to access it. Offline access was critical for me since I commute via subway. If you drive on your commute or have a constant network connection, then this might not be quite as awesome for you (don’t read and drive).
I also want a certain level of readability instead of me zooming around a non-responsive mobile site. Bookmarking just didn’t cut it.
What’s the solution?
Here’s where Pocket, formally known as Read It Later, comes in. It does it all. Install a simple plugin for whichever browser you use, and with one click it automatically syncs whatever content you’re currently viewing on the web, directly to your phone, in a readable format. As for organizing, instead of folders, you can quickly and easily add tags that you can later filter through. Now I have my very own mobile-responsive, customized digital magazine with the unique content I have curated with a quick click. Sorry bookmarks, it’s you, not me. Pocket just treats me the way I deserve.
How can this be better?
Text and images are automatically sent to your phone where you can access them offline, anytime, but not video. You will have to go to be connected for that. Future premium feature maybe?
That being said, the premium version lets you do full-text searching, keeps articles even if they have been removed from the web and automatically organizes things by suggesting tags. That does make it better, but I do not need this functionality. If I were using this application as a research or citation archive, I would consider paying the annual $45 (or $4.99/mo).
Other than that- since I am using the beta for an upcoming version and they did away with the “favorite” star at the top of an article- which now I have to add one more click to make something my fav. Lame. (Pocket UX- that lame was for you. Put it back. Plz)
