Google launches online magazine app

Google has launched Currents, an app for receiving magazine content on Android and Apple iOS devices, eWeek Europe reported.

Google on 8 December launched Google Currents, its long-awaited magazine-reading application for smartphones and tablets, joining an increasingly competitive field led by Flipboard and Zite.

Google Currents will let users access and read articles from more than 180 publications on Android smartphones and tablets, as well as Apple’s iPads and iPhones. Full-length articles from CNET, Forbes, PBS, Huffington Post and other publications will be accessible with the swipe of a finger across smartphone and tablet displays.

US users can download the app from the Android Market and the Apple App Store and begin subscribing to the available publications.

Once subscribed, users may then add RSS, video and photo feeds, as well as Google Reader subscriptions they’re already following, to make the app’s content more comprehensive.

For those in the mood for new content discovery, a trending tab will offer related content that matches readers’ preferences. Currents users can share content with their contacts on the Google+ social network.

Content users access is then available offline, cached by Google, so that users can read articles even without a web connection.
A video of the demo shows Currents looking quite sleek, though ReadWriteWeb found it to be decent and its social features “lacklustre” because the app emphasises Google+ and hides sharing access to Facebook and Twitter.

Google is also launching a self-service platform to let publishers design, brand and customise their web content for Google Currents. Publishers can connect their account with Google Analytics to get more information about their readers’ preferences.