AvantGo was a popular service that let us download content to our PDAs and view it later when we were away from an available Internet connection. Many people used AvantGo to keep up-to-date with news or to read fun stories during a long commute. Sadly, AvantGo’s parent company, Sybase, has discontinued the service.
Now that AvantGo is gone, you might be wondering what other programs are available that offer a similar service. Here’s a closer look at a few options:
Snac
AvantGo suggests that users check out Snac, a downloadable application. However, Snac does not support Palm OS devices.
RSS Readers
If you don’t need the offline capabilities that AvantGo once offered (yes, I know this was the killer feature to many users), an RSS reader might be a good option. If you decide to go the RSS route, let me suggest a few RSS readers for Palm OS devices and for Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices.
Similar Software Programs
Other options are also available, such as Pocket Express, iSilo and iSiloX, Mobipocket Reader, and Plucker. Unfortunately, these offerings are not quite the same as AvantGo.
SPB News 2.0
For Windows Mobile users, SPB News 2.0, formerly known as SPB Insight, might also be an option. This program makes full-text articles and images available for offline reading. Version 2.0 features a touch interface, support for gestures, and automatic updates. SPB News currently has an online catalog with over 1,000 news feeds in various categories. New, custom sources can also be added.Convert a Website
As a third option, you could visit a handheld-friendly website and convert the content to your PDA manually, but this can be a very tedious and time-consuming option.
