Lazyfeed, the community style feed reader that recommends content to users based on topics, got an update this week. Maybe, I should say an overhaul.

The main site changed drastically to accomodate the integration of multiple real-time updates. This goes without saying that there was an equally drastic change to the codebase that powers the service.

What are my initial impressions of the new look?

Lazyfeed is trying to solve a major issue, one that I discussed last night, in regards to filtering the web. There is so much content zipping place to place that some of the best of it misses us. Not for the lack of trying but for not being in the right place at the right time.

This service is trying to solve that by allowing users to choose the topics they are interested in bubbling them up in real-time updates. They are attempting to bring real-time discovery across an entire set of interests all at the same time.

How do they manage this? First, the new interface is comprised of blocks that represent the interests a user has entered – say, apple tv or Sarah Palin, then multiply by 5 or so and you have the idea. Each block then updates in real-time when a post is found that matches the criteria.

If it sounds complex, it really isn’t. What is complex is when it goes into operation. In attempting to solve a problem of overload the interface creates it for the new user. Lazyfeed likens their style of content delivery to conveyor belt sushi restaurants.

I’m sure I don’t need to say that it is quite overwhelming to be in front of this screen for the first time. It is like a series of synapses firing across the brain on all of your interests at near the same time. However, after giving it some time I realized that this was a new way of interacting with content that I was unfamiliar with and there was a learning curve.

Once I had this behind me I was ready to move on and allow Lazyfeed to algorithmically bring me my interests on the square platters they have designed. With enough topic and content added in it was less of an issue to have the interface rotating in front of my eyes out of my control.

To gain some control all you need to do is click on any of the boxes for a new modal window that displays a more traditional feed reader layout with all of the sources for a topic. There is also additional discovery of similar topics by tag. What I would love to see in this new display is the ability to search within a given top and set of sources.

Lazyfeed is getting there, as they say in the biz. With this new revision it is obvious that the team is thinking about big picture issues for users of their service and the interwebs at large. To be honest, I think there are a couple products that this release could be broken down into. Lazyfeed is good technology waiting for the right users and clients.

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Lazyfeed Update for Real-Time Discovery is a post from: TechStartups.com

We’ve all had to deal with losing our most precious data – photos of family, spreadsheets and the 1.5 million images of kitties being cute. I joke, but we have all been there, that moment when you know that your data is gone.

You sit crushed under the weight of the mental notes you are taking about what has been lost. Then you realize that you have a backup – maybe. That it might be accessible from another computer – maybe.

With a solution offered by Spare Backup there is no maybe. Their software ensures that your data is saved, it’s in a format that you can recognize with icons for you applications and it is accessible in more ways than one. More than one? They offer an innovative mobile solution as well as an easily navigated online backup.

My first impressions of the mobile access and online service have been favorable. I have been able to access data backups with ease on mobile. Sure I can’t restore my computer from it but without having to wait to get a new one up and running I can look at those cute kitty pictures.

As for internet access, the best feature of Spare Backup’s offering isn’t really the storage, it is awesome too but plays second fiddle to a masterfully designed user interface for getting to your backup data. The interface is icon driven and succeeds where most consumer backup services fail – making the icons useful and descriptive for the kind of files you will find behind them.

Spare Backup offers three levels of service to customers: single pc, family pack to backup five computers to one account and a corporate package. They all offer the standard online backup to the cloud and the ability to burn the data to fixed media like CD/DVD. I’m sure if you are stealthy enough you could use another app to create an .ISO backup and send it over to an external drive.

If you’re looking for a new solution for backing up your computer, take a look at Spare Backup. They have a long history of improving their software since going public in 2003. Unlike most startups, if you like the service that Spare Backup provides you can actually buy into the company, as they are publicly traded. Another funding method that we’ll address in a future post.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Spare Backup and Spare Yourself Some Pain is a post from: TechStartups.com