The Reg Desktop News Alerts is a desktop application that provides a range of news access tools - from a feed reader, for either RSS or Atom feeds - to a scrolling news ticker and custom alert box. It ensures that you get the news you want as it breaks.

All you have to do is download, install it and then follow the instructions on how to receive the news that's important to you. We've filled it with our own RSS feeds, but you can add any feeds to it and tell it to display them however you want.

You can add feeds and tweak how they're delivered by clicking on the Options menu.

It isn't a big application, under 5Mb, and it's easily uninstalled again if you don't like it. If you already run the 'Beta' version of the app, this new version will remove it for you.

We think you'll like it. Built by our friends at Skinkers, Reg Desktop News Alerts is a clean application; no ad-ware, no diallers, no viruses. And it's completely anonymous - the only data it collects is the data you give it, such as the channels of content you receive, or the answers to any questions we might ask. But there's nothing compulsory, and nothing that identifies you so you're quite safe.

This is a 'Beta' release of this technology - it's pretty new and we want to make sure it does the job for you. If you have any feedback, please send it to philip.mitchell@theregister.co.uk and we'll keep tweaking it until you're all happy.