TidyRead, similar to the other such tools I have described, is a free bookmarklet that strips the clutter from Web pages and otherwise makes them easier to read. Unlike them, it works on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. It also works with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera and Internet Explorer.
Configuration Options
While TidyRead does not have as many configuration options as those offered by Readability and Readable, it does offer them on demand. With the latter two tools, users configure how they want the main content of Web pages to appear, and then they add the bookmarklet to their Web browsers. TidyRead has no pre-configuration. After its bookmarklet is installed, a click to it presents the toolbar, shown below, at the top of each page it displays. It adjusts the presentation of content as options are selected.
The toolbar has buttons to change background color, font size and margin width. Its “More” menu includes settings to change the font family and the text alignment.
Error Handling
TidyRead does not have the great feature Readable has, which enables users to select the content they want to display. If TidyRead can not determine the main content of a page, it displays the error, “This page doesn’t look like an article, and TidyRead couldn’t extract”.
iPhone & iPod Touch
TidyRead can be installed on the iPhone and the iPod Touch by syncing Firefox- or Safari bookmarks with iTunes. Alternatively, there are step-by-step installation instructions.
Relevancy To Clear Helper Project
The reason I am investigating these readability tools is that they could be quite useful to people with cognitive disabilities who are distracted by extraneous content on all Web sites. Maybe, in addition to offering easy- and standard versions of the future Clear Helper Web site, I could offer on it one of these tools to install.
Notes
- No endorsement of TidyRead is intended or implied.
- Readers may be interested in my Readability Resources Related To Cognitive Web Accessibility.