Google Reader Notifier is a Windows based system tray application that checks Google Reader for new items on a periodic basis. The application is set by default to run at startup.

Reader Notifier Preferences Screen

Check for new items

This menu option lets you select how often the notifier will check for new updates. If you have a smaller number of subscriptions, it may be useful to check more often. For a very large number of subscriptions, you will be notified constantly on new updates. It may be helpful to use the label filter in this case.

You can manually trigger checking for new items by right-clicking on the icon and choosing Check Now:

Only display items with label

This textbox allows you to put a space delimited list of labels (folders, tags) that the notifier will filter by. If you have items in a folder called “favorites”, then putting favorites in this text box will make the notifier only alert you when there are updates to subscriptions in that folder. You could also put multiple folders by putting a space between them.

Show count in Tooltip

When you hold your mouse over the tray icon, the unread count is normally displayed. If you wanted to turn this off, you can uncheck the checkbox. This is turned on by default.

Don’t show popup animation

When notifier detects new unread items, a popup animation similar to the Google Talk new mail notification is shown. You can check this box if you want to disable that popup.

Google Account Authentication

You should enter your Google Reader account login information here. The password will be saved in an encrypted file.

Disclaimer: Google Reader Notifier is not in any way affiliated with Google Corp.