Google Reader hasn't actually shut down just yet though and a guess at the URL, reader.google.com, took me to my Reader home page. Perhaps the menu option has been deleted to prevent new users from signing up to the service. If you still want to use it you will have to enter the URL or bookmark it rather than go through the Google home page menu.
Apparently 500,000 people have switched to Feedly since Google announced that Reader was to be closed. make that 500,001 because I have switched too.It can be accessed from the web using a browser (there's a Chrome extension) and there are Android and iOS apps for your tablet and smartphone. A nice feature is that it imports everything from Google Reader, so you can carry on exactly as before on your mobile, tablet or desktop PC.
There is a Reader-like view in Feedly that lists all the news stories in a table, but the default view is more of an online newspaper-style layout that is attractive and easy on the eye. A number of stories are highlighted and there is a headline, photo and extract. Clicking a story rearranges the page contents to open a larger view where there is a bigger picture and more text. There are Google+, Facebook and Twitter sharing options, a link to go to the original website to read the full article, and other useful controls.
Click the icon in the left margin and a menu pops up that enables you to switch between the two views. It also lists your Reader feeds or categories/folders. Select a Reader category and the feeds are displayed.Feedly is a lot more advanced than Google Reader and it has a lot of features. However, I prefer the simplicity of Reader - it does what I want and no more. Google Mail is the same and while it may loot basic compared to some email alternatives, it's speed and simplicity is preferred by many people.
Reader will be closed sooner or later, so I'd better get used to Feedly. There are, of course, alternatives and they are worth checking out, but for the moment I'm sticking with Feedly.
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