I use Google Reader a lot — not only to stay on top of the news, but also to find interesting blog posts and articles. I’m always telling my friends about Google Reader, and while some of them love it, others don’t want to take the time to set it up. For those of you who fall into this second category, Google is announcing Google Reader Play, a new product that makes the best stuff in Reader more accessible for everyone. Reader Play is a new way to browse interesting stuff on the web, customized to the topics you’re interested in, with no setup required.
Items in Reader Play are presented one at a time, and images and videos are automatically enlarged to maximize the viewing experience. Google use the technology behind Recommended Items in Reader to populate Reader Play with the most interesting content on the web. While you don’t need a Google account to use Reader Play, your experience will be personalized if you sign in. As you browse, you can let Google know which items you enjoy by clicking the “like” button, and Google will use that info to show you other content we think you’ll enjoy.
We think Reader Play is a fun way to browse interesting items online that you wouldn’t find otherwise. Google designed it especially for people who don’t want to spend time curating their own set of feeds — but folks who already use Reader can easily use it to read their feeds as well. Just click the feed settings menu on any feed in Reader and select “View in Reader Play.” Google is launching Reader Play as an experiment in Google Labs so that we can test it out, get feedback from us and then improve it as quickly as possible. Visit google.com/reader/play to give it a try, and let Google know what you think!