Times RSS Reinvented: Win 1 Of 5 Copies

Times-512.png

Software developer Dustin MacDonald is well recognized in the Mac software industry. Although just 19 years of age he’s already well known for his success with personal data organization application Wallet, which is now in version 2.7 and used by thousands of Mac users around the world.

Times is the latest addition to Dustin’s achievement list and the first application he’s created under his new company Acrylic.

Most people would describe software as boring, bland, dull tools that are only necessary to simply get a job done. Sadly enough, most modern software actually matches this description pretty well. Acrylic is different. We think of software as something much more - an amazing medium to express new ideas and experiences to the user. We strive to create innovative, beautiful, fun software that makes using a computer more enjoyable. - Dustin MacDonald.

Trying to reinvent the way you read news, they’ve created the best possible news experience straight from the ground up. Instead of treating news like email (as most RSS readers do), Times presents you with headlines and photos from a variety of sources all in one place, letting you more easily discover the news you want to read.

You’ll be impressed by the sheer attention to detail in Times. Every feature was carefully crafted to work as intuitively and naturally as possible, while still keeping with Mac design philosophies.

Times uses many advanced OS X technologies, like Core Animation - which allows for clear and concise animations throughout the interface, making it easy to always see what’s going on. - Times Website

Like your own personal newspaper, you can put feeds into separate areas, create pages for different subjects, and more. The best way to understand how Times works, and if it’ll work for you is by downloading a trial.

Competition: Five Copies To Giveaway

We have five copies of Times to give away to five individual readers. Want a chance to own the latest RSS application to the Mac platform? Simply leave a brief comment below and we’ll draw five comments by random on the 6th of May. Oh, and while on the topic of RSS, why not subscribe to our feed for easy access to fresh content.

Comments

  1. #1

    Evan Gwynn → evan2011.co.nr

    Hey i want times

  2. #2

    Chris Thomson → chris24.ca

    Times looks great! It wouldn’t replace my current RSS reader, because I subscribe to over 300 feeds, but it’d be a nice addition.

  3. #3

    Sarah

    Can’t wait to try out Times (and maybe win a copy!). This is RSS the way it should be!!!

  4. #4

    Barry Sanschagrin

    Looks nice. I would like a copy.

  5. #5

    rmaspero → www.rmaspero.com

    I have been playing around with the trial of Times for a while now and one of the first feeds I put in was this one. I also own a copy of Wallet which is an amazing app. I think Times is so much better than any other RSS app out there.

  6. #6

    Indraneel

    I’d love a copy!

  7. #7

    Jordan Chark → jordanchark.com

    I’ve also been using the trial for a couple days, and have to say it’s really what I’m looking for in an RSS app. Instead of it being that I have to constantly jump around and read each feed almost individually in the traditional format, with Times I can read my feeds without being entirely overloaded. Not only that, but the interface is gorgeous.

    Even with the 150+ feeds I subscribe to- I cut down a bit, and definitely prefer Times’ column format.

  8. #8

    Greg Wagoner

    Wow! Finally a news reader that acts like a newspaper. What a cool clean look!

  9. #9

    Mike Cohen → mcdevzone.com

    I want a copy! I tried it and it looks pretty interesting.

  10. #10

    Michael Yurechko → mikeyur.com

    It really only works if you have a few feeds - over 20 and the thing wouldn’t do well..

  11. #11

    Glenn Wolsey : Blog Archive : Quick Link: Win Times → www.glennwolsey.com/2008/05/04/quick-link-win-times

    [...] Just a quick note announcing a competition for Dustin MacDonald’s new RSS application Times on Desktop Vibes. [...]

  12. #12

    Adrien

    I’m really glad that there are people out there that keep coming up with innovative ideas for new Mac Applications.

  13. #13

    Will Dawson

    This app is really nice. I use NetNewsWire for my feeds now but this would be really nice for when i dont want NetNewsWire up in my face. I hope I win a copy.

  14. #14

    Nick Humphries → nicklog.com

    If it’s simple, I’m sold.

  15. #15

    John Rust → johnrust.wordpress.com

    Sure…might as well try to get me a copy.

  16. #16

    Jack Nagel

    Count me in!

    Apps like this are where the Mac platform really outshines Windows. Never in a million years will Windows have beautifully designed apps like this.

  17. #17

    Devin Reams → imdevin.com

    Its beautiful and I love Wallet, too. Give me a copy!

  18. #18

    Adam → wilcosworld.co.uk

    The trail has been really good, such a simple idea and yet never tried before. It really makes reading ‘news’ site rather than blogs an enjoyable mac experience.

  19. #19

    EDIT-XTREEM → iappblog.com

    I’ve been beta testing it and its a wonderful application. Dustin did a great job. I’d love a copy.

    BTW, Great work with the new site!!

  20. #20

    Julian Schrader → julianschrader.de

    I like Times for how it looks — it couldn’t replace NetNewsWire for me, but it’d certainly be in use on my MacBook Pro to take care of the feeds I don’t need to read article by article.

  21. #21

    shadownight@laposte.net

    Times looks really cool, it’s a great way to use RSS in a different way.

  22. #22

    Ludwig Wendzich → ludwignz.com

    I certainly love this app! It’s hot! So please, count me in.

    One thing, I hope it gets syncing goodness with Google Reader or its own online app soon :)

  23. #23

    Spencer

    I love the idea of reading RSS feeds like I read the newspaper, but I would have to use it as a secondary feed reader.

  24. #24

    pge

    Looks very interesting, nicely done!

  25. #25

    Michael Mistretta → michaelmistretta.com

    I’m in. Times looks like an awesome app, and I was thrilled to be in the early beta. It’s great for those times that you don’t want RSS to act like email, but instead, like a newspaper.

  26. #26

    Arne

    Even though I doubt that Times will replace NetNewsWire for me, I reckon it would be a great gift to get my dad into reading RSS feeds.

  27. #27

    Kristoffer

    Looks slick. count me in!

  28. #28

    Megha

    I would love to get it!!!

  29. #29

    Tom Baker → tbtechblog.wordpress.com

    I believe that Times will certainly satisfy more casual ‘RSS readers’ - it looks to be a well rounded, graphical Mac application that is very consumer-esque. As a professional, though, subscribing to a large number of feeds, NetNewsWire will still do it for me.

    Times, though, I think would make a nice addition to my suite of desktop apps to aggregate my more personal feeds.

    –Tom

  30. #30

    MatsHG

    Haven´t got quite into the hole RSS thing yet.
    But as my days keeps getting busier and busier, I´ll think I have to.
    As for now. I´m wasting to much time surfing through (daily visited) websites.

  31. #31

    Josh Kagan → www.JoshKagan.com

    It’ll take a lot to make me voluntarily give up NewsFire, but I’ll give this a shot…

  32. #32

    Arthus Erea → myfla.ws

    I’d love a copy!

  33. #33

    Dan M → dmdzine.net

    Looks real cool!

  34. #34

    Christopher Maio → www.khalek.net

    Looks nice. I’m currently using Google Reader for RSS, but this could be a different experience.

  35. #35

    Cait I

    I read Dustin MacDonald’s recent blog post about Times. It seems like an amazing application with lots of potential for future releases. I love the fact that it downloads the entire article and displays it in it’s own way. Dustin’s totally right in saying that RSS newsfeed reading can sometimes be tedious. Looking at it in such a visually beautiful application will make it much more fun! :]

  36. #36

    Aulia

    Times looks like an awesome news reader. Not too many developers release apps with such attention to GUI and usability, McDonald is in an exclusive circle. Times could do with some minor improvements though.

  37. #37

    Joshua K. → devilishduck.com

    Looks like an interesting idea. I’d love the chance to try it out full time, maybe as an alternate to NetNewsWire.

  38. #38

    Dan Corcoran

    Times looks like a great application and a great time saver. I hope I win it.

  39. #39

    steppenwolf

    Fascinating concept! Looking forward to testing it.

  40. #40

    Joe Jacobs → joejacobs.tumblr.com

    Wow, how did I miss this one!?! I’ve gotta give this a try!

  41. #41

    Jonathan Pike → therewascake.com

    It’s definitely an interesting and appealing concept, although I’d love to see how it plays out in a normal working routine.

  42. #42

    Lasha → onefusedlife.com

    Wow, this is by far the most impressive application I’ve come across in a long time. The way everything is displayed and organized would come in quite handy! I would LOVE to win a copy.

  43. #43

    Ismael Sobek

    I tried it, it seems really cool. I was actually dreaming up the perfect RSS reader the other day, and it had a lot of the same features! I would never have thought of the “newspaper” layout quite so drastically, though. Great job, Dustin!

  44. #44

    Michele Gerarduzzi

    Dustin’s work is amzing! I would love to win a license.

  45. #45

    Adrian → www.navitronic.co.uk

    Being both a heavy newsfire user in the past and now a kinda happy netnewswire user, I’d love to try this software out!

    MAy the random comment gods shine upon me!

  46. #46

    Mark Nichols → zanshin.net

    The 7th is my birthday, so give it to me, precious.

  47. #47

    Kevin → www.myalaska.net

    Very nice, great icon and clever concept…I like the way you think!

  48. #48

    Damon

    Times is pretty and being able to watch videos and read whole articles instead of just a summary of them is extremely useful. However, even though I like the nice interface, I think that it needs a way to check all of your feeds without having to organize them into three little sections on a page. Like that if you click on a fee d it would open up a new page and show you all of the posts.

  49. #49

    Charlie

    Looks nice!

    Glenn; is this now your preferred RSS reader of choice? Or are you still using iGoogle or NewsFire?

  50. #50

    nathan miller → herkamer.tumblr.com

    Times has potential to revolutionize the way I RSS. Needless to say, I’d love to win.

  51. #51

    David

    it truly looks very well thought and done

  52. #52

    Dan Philibin → danphilibin.com

    I tried Times out…not sure I like it, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but overall it’s an impressive app.

  53. #53

    Kha

    Nice. The program looks promising. Off to go download the trial…

  54. #54

    Sean

    Hey wow im always interested in trying out new applications and exploring them i use applications like password 1 and wallet and newsfire i all so like appzapper as well along with many others . going to keep a eye on this app

  55. #55

    Sean

    okay i just downloaded this app and wow this is really cool defiantly going to recommend this to customers at the apple store.

  56. #56

    Peety → g33klite.com

    Times is a nifty application. I have been testing it for the last 24 hours

    Can you please include me in this *sweet* competition.. Good Luck to everyone and of course to myself.. =)

    Thanks.

  57. #57

    iam

    Love it. Everything I want in a news reader, nothing I don’t. Shame it’s infested with bugs at the moment, but I’m sure that will change.

  58. #58

    Jason Wareham

    Look interesting. Count me in!

  59. #59

    Henrik Christiansen → henrikchristiansen.com

    Times is really a program worth checking out. However, I feel that it’s too much for me, so I’m jumping between NetNewsFire and Times.

  60. #60

    vectran

    Looks like something Apple would make, count me in:)

  61. #61

    Conner Downey → connerdowney.com

    I’ve been using it a little, and I love the looks.

  62. #62

    xiap → xiapdesign.com

    i’ve been playing with it for the last hour and it’s a pretty well done app. Doesn’t replace netnewsfire IMO but is more of a nice and beautiful complement.

  63. #63

    Alejandro Santander → www.flickr.com/photos/aleeckid

    I was testing the trial, I’ve impressed, I love it, but, i wonder why, it stoped run, now, i can’t opened…

    Any way is…. my favorite RSS reader.

  64. #64

    Alex

    Very slick interface, i like it very much !

  65. #65

    Greg

    I love this app.

  66. #66

    Daniel Brusilovsky → www.danielbru.com

    This looks awesome! I downloaded the trial and I love it! Great post Glenn!

  67. #67

    Charles

    rAndOM message inserted here.

  68. #68

    Michael

    Ooh, “Times”. Sounds like the New York Times. XD

  69. #69

    Adam C → ruleofone.com

    I can haz Times?

    I tried it out… I don’t think it’s going to replace NNW for me, but it will make reading those highly updated blogs (like Engadget or Tech Crunch) a little easier.

  70. #70

    Josh

    Hopefully this will replace Google Reader and Newsfire as my RSS reader of choice (as I can’t pick between the two sometimes).

    And it reads like a newspaper…keeps things innovative! Great job Dustin

  71. #71

    Andre → winnopeg.com

    Nice app, nice price, but $30? I think I’ll old off, NewsFire’s “Mark all Feeds as Read” is enough for me.

  72. #72

    William

    Times is a great advancement for rss reading… reading my “news” in the morning is fantastic

  73. #73

    Duncan Stevenson → themacbox.co.uk

    Looks great - I’d love a copy :-)

  74. #74

    Simon

    It’s definitely a very promising app !
    Just a few bugs to solve…

  75. #75

    Stefan

    It really reinvents the way RSS-readers work. It’s the next best thing to having a real copy of the Times in your hand.

  76. #76

    One Fused Life » Times: Reinvented RSS Reader (win a copy!) → onefusedlife.com/2008/05/04/times-reinvented-rss-reader-win-a-copy

    [...] and get yourself a trial copy of the application. You can also win 1 of 5 copies of this program - Desktop Vibes is holding a giveaway so don’t forget to enter! If you truly care about a new and efficient way of checking your [...]

  77. #77

    Den → twitter.com/dufsky

    Completely cute app, like it so much, that told all my friends around about it.
    Highly recommended! Thanks for your work, Dustin.

  78. #78

    Neal

    I want a copy!

  79. #79

    Brandon → sheatsb.com

    I would love a copy!

  80. #80

    Matthew Robertson

    I just have one question: how do I mark as read? Oooh. Hmm.

  81. #81

    Jordan Green → www.jordangreendesign.com

    Another good post here and its a great application as well!

  82. #82

    Gabriele Riva

    Very nice app!

  83. #83

    Shreedhan

    Win a copy, I want one. Thanks.

  84. #84

    Henning Stedtnitz → www.firstofall.net

    I’m going to be moving back to desktop clients when my computer situation clears up. Maybe Times is the right choice? I will compare it to NewsFire next time I get the chance.

  85. #85

    Tony

    oh wow, certainly a very useful and nicely designed app - especially in (my) country with questionable standards of journalism.

    would love to be hooked up with one ;)

  86. #86

    Andrew Naylor

    I have never used an RSS aggregator for more than a few days because they never quite seem to work right. Times looks like something I will use for a long time because it’s so simple.

  87. #87

    marieboyer

    Would love to use this in conjunction with NNW!

  88. #88

    Bay → troelsbay.eu

    Amazing application! Newspaper gone digital :D

  89. #89

    Ian

    This is the sort of thing that might get my mom to finally give RSS a try. I’d love to have a copy to play with (and maybe to give her for Mother’s Day).

    It wouldn’t work for my 170+ feeds, but I think it could be great for the 5 to 10 really busy feeds I follow. Would help sort through them for sure.

  90. #90

    Dave Hyndman → www.davehyndman.com

    I’d love a copy.

  91. #91

    cdpape

    Looks awesome ! I’d love a license !

  92. #92

    Kelly Nelson

    I really like the concept and resulting presentation, though my intake of RSS feeds is fairly discriminatory. Normally I am looking to read about specific subjects so I cannot see Desktop Vibes replacing my normal RSS routine though perhaps it would be a nice compliment. That said, I’ve been wrong before.

  93. #93

    Brian B.

    Holy cow. This is the RSS reader I’ve been waiting for.

    I wonder if it’ll get blocked because it strips all ads out? That’s my biggest concern with the software. A ‘User Agent’ preference would fix that… ;)

    Might be a bit high priced at $30 - but I’ll license it at that price. I’d bet that the gross proceeds would be higher at $20.

    This is incredible software. Excellent work!

  94. #94

    Aaron T, → blaarg.freetxp.com

    Looks awesome. Good work Dustin. It’s beautiful.

  95. #95

    David Hill → lucmymac.com

    Nice news reader. I like how it looks like a newspaper. The shelf feature is a nice way to pic out articles to read. The controls are not too complicated and are easy to figure out.

    I think the price point is a bit high for a news reader, but not exorbitant.

    Very Nice app. Keep up the good work!

  96. #96

    Kim → kim.tumblr.com

    I’m trying it out right now, and I’m not complaining too much.

  97. #97

    Wesley Yendrys → www.wyendrys.com

    Looks really sleek and nice to use. I find Net News Wire to be a little annoying to use.

  98. #98

    Bohdan Z

    I’m downloading the trial copy and can’t wait to try it and see what else ‘Acrylic’ will be offering us in the future!

  99. #99

    justin bianco → justinbianco.com

    Stellar App, definitely worth the money… That is, if I don’t win!

  100. #100

    Bryan

    Cool app…would like to try it out.

  101. #101

    sean

    I’ve used Newsfire and Vienna, but this looks much more intuitive.
    Look forward to giving it a go.

  102. #102

    Otto

    I wouldn’t mind a copy :)

  103. #103

    Alexander Ward → www.alexanderward.net

    From what I’ve seen seems like a nice Application…

  104. #104

    Stephen Chinnadorai → stephenchinnadorai.com

    Times looks to be the kind of application that brings RSS to everyday people - seeing as most people don’t take advantage of this medium. RSS should be presented in an easy-to-read way, not like e-mail. Times may not be the final solution to what RSS needs, but it’s definitely a big step on the way.

  105. #105

    G Basson

    Looks cool! Pick Me!

  106. #106

    Brendan

    I have RSS feeds but I’m getting bored of how I read them, this would certainly shake things up for me, but I am a poor student :_(

    It looks really nice though, how it handles the feeds.

  107. #107

    Konstantino → konstantino.wordpress.com

    I love the concept behind Times. I downloaded it on Friday when it came out. Still a few bugs and it’s definitely not for power users, but it’s beautiful in a designer’s point of view.

  108. #108

    Matthew → matthewjeffrey.com

    Just leave a comment? Well This app looks sweet! =) would love to win. I read like 10 RSS feeds.

  109. #109

    Chris

    Very slick and fast - and the developers seem to be rolling out updates fast, which is always a good sign.

  110. #110

    DaveG

    This app looks amazing ! I sure hope to win a copy of it !

    Cheers !

    Dave

  111. #111

    Yannic → yannicwalter.de

    To follow the venerable tradition of lolspeak:

    DO WANT!

  112. #112

    chris

    looks great, trying it out now.

  113. #113

    Katherine Fellows → katherinefellows.com

    Oh, gosh. This looks awesome. I need it. Must have it. Unfortunately, I am but a lowly student. Hopefully, I’ll win a copy!

  114. #114

    Garrett

    I am laughing so hard…just because it looks good it means its worth $30? It can’t do anything that Net News Wire can’t do, which is free. I was all into the hype because it looked good, but after actually trying it (had to restart a Mac Pro twice, it froze it.), then having it crash 5 times on my Macbook, I give up.

  115. #115

    Brent → iboughtamac.com

    Thanks Glenn,

    Great review and some interesting sounding software too.

    Brent

  116. #116

    Philipp Fischer → www.phfischer.de

    Hey.
    I’d really like to try this app..
    Thanks

  117. #117

    Kensurs

    Wow that’s a neat idea, I can’t believe he’s on 19. Awesome :D

  118. #118

    Woodrel

    Excellent idea and a great way to read news. Still a bit buggy though so I look forward to some more stable releases. When that happens it’ll be good bye NewsFire.

  119. #119

    Steffan Williams → scribbleit.net

    I’m a big fan of Wallet, myself! Haven’t actually downloaded Times to give it a shot, so here’s hoping it beats NewsFire.

    Oh, yeah.. I Can Haz Times?

  120. #120

    Jesse Lavery

    Would love to have a copy of Times! Always looking for a better way to digest my RSS overload.

  121. #121

    Frank

    I have said it before, and will say it again: Times looks awesome.

  122. #122

    George

    Hey great article and nice new site. Would love a copy of times if luck of the draw would have it.

  123. #123

    Matthew

    I’d like to have a copy myself.

  124. #124

    Michael → twitter.com/michaelespinosa

    i would love to try out the new Times rss reader.

  125. #125

    Amirah

    Times looks like a creative and original way to view RSS articles. I’d love to get my hands on it!

  126. #126

    Bob

    Wow! That’s a lot of comments. Looks like a great app

  127. #127

    Ebbi

    I’d love a copy of Times RSS! I’ve read about this program on several other sites and have only heard good news! And the developer is only 19! What a marvelous achievement and great talent. Thumbs up!

  128. #128

    dan → randomassignment.com

    While I can’t see it handling all of my GReader feeds, it would be great for the work-related blogs

  129. #129

    Fernando Mateus → www.fernandomateus.com

    Well, thank you for bringing this new app to our attention.
    It looks great.

  130. #130

    Nicolinux

    I’d like a copy of this amazing RSS reader, please… ;-)

  131. #131

    Justin → www.opticdistraction.com

    I think this is an interesting take on a piece of software that has been done many times. I’m curious to see how this ends up working in practice. That icon is fantastic as well.

  132. #132

    Ryan → www.machive.com

    I wouldn’t mind getting a copy of this. Looks like a great app.

  133. #133

    Technogogo

    I downloaded Times and it looks extremely promising. I would like to see a keyword feature. Example: I subscribe to the Cruise Critics RSS feeds. If an article contains the name of a particular cruise ship I’d like to have the article show in a different color.
    But saying that… I do like to keep apps simple and clean. So Times is really nice in that regard.

  134. #134

    Stefaan → www.novoblog.be

    Times looks great. Love the icon and interface. Well done!

  135. #135

    Shaun

    Anything to improve the feeds!

  136. #136

    Stephen

    no wonder there are so many comments here. well, i guess i will join in on the fun too and try my luck for the free app.

  137. #137

    Calvin Chu → www.calvinchu.net

    Nice looking app. Count me in.

  138. #138

    Mike Krieger

    I love the syncing ability I currently have with NetNewsWire; I wonder if an iPhone view is on the cards for Times 2.0

  139. #139

    Winners Announced On Times Competition → desktopvibes.com/winners-announced-on-times-competition

    [...] sincere thanks to the 138 people who entered the competition. This may be the first competition we’ve run on Desktop Vibes, but it most certainly [...]

  140. #140

    Glenn Wolsey → www.glennwolsey.com

    Winners announced. Comment thread closed.

    Thanks guys!