Exploring My First Three Months with Readwise Reader
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Readwise Reader
In the recent weeks, Readwise has officially launched their new app, "Reader," transitioning from a private beta to public availability. With this newfound accessibility, I believe sharing my experiences over the past three months could be insightful.
Background
For over two years, Readwise has played a pivotal role in my data collection routine, capturing highlights from my readings and presenting them to me daily. These highlights are seamlessly exported into Obsidian, aiding in the creation of my book notes. In the past year, various third-party applications have integrated with Readwise, allowing me to gather highlights from additional sources like podcasts through Snipd and Twitter.
However, capturing highlights from web articles and newsletters posed a challenge. Therefore, I was thrilled when Readwise announced the development of a "Read-it-Later app for avid readers" about eighteen months ago. I eagerly signed up for the private beta, and only in early September did I finally gain access, prompting me to thoroughly test its capabilities.
What Excites Me?
Often labeled merely as a "Read-it-later" application, Reader is more than a repository for saving interesting web pages for later reading. The Readwise team has designed it to serve as a centralized hub for newsletters, emails, podcasts, eBooks, tweets, and soon, YouTube videos—all interconnected with the main Readwise service. This means that valuable content no longer needs to be scattered across various applications or subscriptions. Any digital material can now be centralized, with its key components automatically pushed into Readwise, which remains at the core of my workflow.
How is Reader Organized?
Let’s take a brief look at the structure of the Reader app and its user interface.
Homepage:
The homepage is your starting point upon logging into Reader. It can be customized to display various useful information such as:
- Recently Added Items
- Quick/Long Reads
- Ongoing Reads
- My Recent Highlights
Library:
I view my Library as a collection of "static" or "one-off" content that I encounter while browsing the web. This could include intriguing articles, books, PDFs, or quotes that I wish to capture. Typically, it comprises content that doesn’t come from sources I want to monitor regularly.
Feed:
In contrast to the Library, the Feed is designated for content that carefully selected third parties can push into Reader. This serves as my "streaming" content area, encompassing articles from newsletters or RSS feeds that automatically populate without my intervention.
Shortlist:
This feature functions as a "favorites" list, allowing me to star any content for quick access from the homepage.
Processing Content:
The Library section is divided into three subcategories:
- Inbox: This is the initial landing area for new content. A few times a week, I quickly review this list, deciding whether to keep or delete each item.
- Later: Here, I store articles I intend to read thoroughly because they pique my interest. If they don’t meet my expectations, I can still delete them. Otherwise, I highlight key parts and move the content to:
- Archive: This serves as long-term storage for processed articles, allowing me to revisit them if needed.
Content in the Feed is categorized into "Seen" and "Unseen." Interesting pieces can be moved to my Library for later consideration, while uninteresting ones are deleted immediately.
Noteworthy Features of Reader
Reader is packed with features that make it stand out, and discussing all of them would require a much longer article. However, a few notable functionalities deserve special mention:
Accessible via Browser
While I primarily use the Reader app on mobile devices, I can also access it conveniently on my laptop.
Excellent Hotkey Support
Reader in the browser is not simply a re-skin of the app; the development team has revamped its core functionality to provide extensive hotkey support, allowing users to navigate without relying on a mouse.
YouTube Transcripts
I've long sought a reliable method to transcribe YouTube videos. Reader has recently rolled out its initial version of YouTube transcription, enabling me to take notes and highlights in real-time as videos play. Although it’s not perfect yet, it allows for effective note-taking, and I can click any part of the transcript to jump to the corresponding timestamp in the video.
Dedicated Email Address
Each Reader user is assigned two unique email addresses—one for their Library and another for their Feed. I use the Feed email to subscribe to newsletters, ensuring content is delivered directly to Reader, preventing disruptions in my inbox.
Automatically Generated Document Structure
Reader automatically generates an outline for each document it receives, displaying a table of contents on the left side of the screen for easy navigation.
OCR for PDFs
Readwise has incorporated OCR capabilities, allowing the app to read and search PDF content. This feature has proven invaluable for accessing recipes in my cookbook collection.
Powerful Browser Extension
With a browser extension available for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, entire web pages can be imported into Reader with a single click. The extension also enables users to highlight specific lines for import, with all highlights retained upon returning to the webpage.
Filters
Reader includes a robust filtering system, enabling users to create customized lists based on various content attributes, including file length, type, reading progress, and highlight count.
For further information or to sign up for Reader, visit the Readwise website. Readwise is accessible on iOS, Android, and the web. By using the link provided, you can enjoy an additional free month to explore both Reader and the core Readwise product.
Currently, the service is free with any subscription to Readwise. The development team plans to increase prices in 2023, following the product's official launch, but will freeze prices for all existing beta subscribers.
Final Thoughts
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