The new Digg team just announced a launch date for its highly anticipated RSS reader, which should be here in plenty of time to catch all the Google Reader refugees. The first version of the Digg Reader, which was built in just under three months, looks extremely similar to Google Reader but is missing some key functionality such as search, which Digg says will be added in future iterations. "Our aim has been to nail the basics: a web and mobile reading experience that is clean, simple, functional, and fast," Digg said in a blog post.

The Digg Reader will roll out first to the 17,000 users who gave Digg feedback on what they wanted to see in an RSS reader, then to anyone who signs up. Digg says the reader will be available to everyone by June 26th, almost a full week before Google Reader is scheduled to shut down. Easy migration of data from Google Reader was a top priority. Digg is also introducing an iPhone app that syncs with the web version, with an Android app on the way. All features introduced this week will be free, but Digg plans to introduce premium paid features in the future.