HOWTO: Get More Channels

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NewsBreak can subscribe to any RSS or ATOM newsfeed, which means there are thousands of feeds published on the web.  Here are a few ways to get the ones you care about into NewsBreak!

Built-In Options: By selecting New from the Menu soft-key in NewsBreak you gain access to a number of great ways to add more channels:

  • Choose from a List: We include a large selection of channels built-in to get you started with NewsBreak. In addition, by selecting the More Channels option from this list while your device is connected to the Internet, you can pull a list of additional channels straight from our site!

  • Search Online for Channels: NewsBreak offers the ability to use both Microsoft Bing and Syndic8.com’s database to search for channels that interest you. Quickly find channels dealing with the topics that you care about the most!

  • Import from a file or URL (OPML): Many news readers allow you to export your feed list in a format that ends with .OPML. NewsBreak can import these feeds allowing you to easily transfer your current list of news feeds to NewsBreak. Just drop the file into the My Documents folder on your device using Active Sync’s Explore function and when you select “Import from a file” in NewsBreak you can select the file you copied over.

    If you choose to import from a URL you can enter the URL for an OPML file, or choose from one of the many feed lists we’ve provided.

  • Enter the URL manually: If you know the URL for a feed, you can type it in and add it to NewsBreak.

Finding RSS Feeds On Your Favorite Sites: Almost every major website (and many minor ones) has an RSS feed. The easiest way to find these feeds is to enter the site’s web address as your search criteria after selecting “Search Online for Channels” in NewsBreak. This will usually find all the news feeds for the site and list them for you.

Alternately, you can visit the site using your browser and look for the link to their feed. The link to these feeds will often have an icon associated with it. Here are a few of the icons you might see:

RSS feed icons examples

Click on this icon and it will take you to the news feed for the site. For many sites, this feed will look like random text mixed with the news when you view the site in Internet Explorer. Copy down the address (also known as a URL) from the address bar of your browser (or just copy it if you are doing this on your mobile device). You can then put that address into NewsBreak using the “Enter the URL manually” option when adding a new feed.