Sometimes keeping up with your social networks takes too much effort, especially if you just want to sit back and watch the content roll in. Screenfeeder is one of the newest passive readers for universal devices, but instead of relegating itself to your iPhone or iPad, the app also supports use on your television through AirPlay or a cable.
Screenfeeder offers support for Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare and Dribbble. Each network update is shown alone on an ever-changing background image. For example, with Twitter these images are the background of your friends’ Twitter pages; Foursquare check-ins are shown on a map. Tapping the screen displays the post time and options, such as favoriting or retweeting Twitter posts. You can add multiple accounts to the app or subscribe to hashtags to stay on top of specific content.
Although I like the idea of passive readers in theory—and the ability to connect the app to your television is of note—Screenfeeder is weak when it comes to user options. There’s currently no option to customize the speed of the stream and the default is on the quick side, at least for me. You also can’t make the tweets display any larger or smaller, and there’s also no way to pause your stream (something I have seen in other passive readers). Yes, you can swipe backward to see previous updates, but pausing would be a more user-friendly option lest you miss anything critical.
Screenfeeder’s relatively high price of $1.99 makes it a tough buy. I’d skip for now and wait for more customization updates to roll-out in the near future.
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