Well if you haven't heard iGoogle will
be shut down by Google in November of 2013, so it may be time to look
at some alternatives. I recently came across Protopage you can find
them here http://www.protopage.com/
Protopage launched in 2005 and is still
going despite nearly every other start page shutting down or becoming
derelict. Due to popular demand, they have released better support
for tablets and larger smartphones, so that you have the choice
between viewing the mobile version or the normal version of Protopage
on your device.
There isn't much to dislike about
Protopage. It has a very nice Web 2.0-oriented design, and it is very
solid in every area that you expect from a personalized start page.
The ability to view multiple RSS feeds in a single module and the
integrated podcasts puts this start page right up there among the
best.
What’s the business model? No idea.
It’s totally free and sans-ads, at least for now. No registration
at all is required to use it, although to name the page you need to
go through an email verification.
Pros
Multiple feeds in a single RSS module
Multiple Email module
Complete Web Page Module
View websites without leaving your
custom start page
Freestyle arranging of modules
Integrated podcasts
Cons
The interface is a little jumpy
Features
Multiple tabs for better organization
Read outside mail from popular sources
like Gmail
Wide range of built-in RSS feeds and
you can add any feed you want
Add custom widgets
Protopage - Whats Too Like
Almost everything. Protopage leverages
Web 2.0 methodologies to create a very smooth drag-and-drop interface
that acts more like your desktop than a browser home page, and not
only does it have just about everything you will want in a start
page, but it does almost everything well.
The modules for RSS feeds are
especially nice since you can choose multiple formats to display the
articles, and you can even mix in multiple feeds into one module.
This makes it a very strong RSS reader.
The ability to display a web page in a
module is another bright spot. One handy trick is to pull up the
mobile version of a website – like Google for Mobile-- so that you
get a webpage that is designed to be in a smaller window.
And perhaps the best part is its
ability to seamlessly dish out podcasts and vidcasts. The volume
control on the upper right hand menu is a nice touch.
