I'm that friend! I had the same feelings about RSS as the OP, so I created http://feedingo.com.
Most RSS readers try to be something they're not: "it's like reading email", "it's like reading a magazine" etc. Feedingo is a web app with an interface that makes reading RSS as easy as possible.
It's true that the current pricing that I launched with needs to be changed, but sign up for the free version and try it out while im working on that.
Pricing is the only problem, but after getting feedback he plans on trying to address that promptly (like $5/yr or something, for a non-free version)