Google last night made the shocking announcement that it would be shutting down Google Reader in about four months' time. Though Google said the decision was made because usage has declined over the years, many die-hard users of the service are devastated that their RSS reader of choice is being put out to pasture.
Luckily, all is not lost, and there are solutions available for those not ready to give up their RSS habit. In a blog post published late last night, Feedly revealed that it has been expecting the Google Reader shut down for a while, and even preparing for it. Feedly says it has been working on a project that is a Feedly clone of the Google Reader API running on Google's App Engine. Feedly says this project, dubbed Normandy, will mean that when Google Ready shuts down in July, Feedly will 'seamless transition' to the Normandy back end. If you want in on the action, sign up for Feedly before the July shut down.
Google hasn't yet commented on the outcry from Google Reader fans but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you're having trouble registering over at Feedly, you might want to try again in a few days. The site was forced to do upgrade bandwidth and add servers to deal with all the rush of new users.
Of course, Feedly isn't the only Google Reader alternative -- there are tons of RSS readers out there. Share you favorite in the comments below!
