I read a lot on the Web.
I see articles all the time that look like they might be interesting. I’ll be cruising through my Twitter feed in Tweetie 2 (iPhone) or reading RSS via NetNewsWire (Mac OS X)… maybe I just found something via Google. This happens a dozen times a day at least.
Whatever the source, I don’t always have time to read everything right that second. There was a time when I would bookmark things like crazy, save links or even email myself to keep track. No longer.
I started using Instapaper about a year ago. It’s a simple ‘bookmarklet’ you put in your browser. When I see something I want to save for later, I click this link in my Safari toolbar. This transparently saves the link off into my Instapaper account.
When I’m looking for something to read, I head over to Instapaper.com and look at my feed. As I read the articles, they drop off my list.
What’s awesome is that there’s also an Instapaper iPhone app. It takes the articles that I’ve tagged, strips out everything but the text (no graphics or ads) and saves them offline – once downloaded I can read these even if I don’t have coverage. There’s also support for other devices like the Kindle, though I don’t use it myself – this will make a great iPad app.
Tweetie 2, my favorite iPhone Twitter client, has built in support, as do many others. When I see a link in a tweet, which probably happens 5-10 times a day, I can swipe and save to Instapaper with a single tap. Incredible.
There are few tools that have dramatically changed the way I use the Web as much as Instapaper. Basic use is free, there’s a charge for the high end iPhone client. I’d strongly suggesting giving it a try.