Google is coming up with a magazine-like format for mobile devices, which would see the search engine giant combining forces with a crowd of companies packaging digital content. This app would be in stiff competition with Flipboard, one app which is more than just famous on the iOS platform. Google named this app as “Currents”.
Competing with Flipboard, will not be easy for ‘Current’, wherein Google is a bit late to enter the competition. Flipboard has already secured a place in the ‘most popular iPad applications’ category, but Google still has an unexplored area to occupy as Google ‘Currents’ will be for the iOS as well as its own Android OS. Google has even timed the launch on the same day as Flipboard announced its app for iPhone.
Again, unlike Flipboard, which was initially launched only for the iPad, and has come out for the iPhone recently, Currents will be out for each and every platform from the start. May it be smartphones or computer tablets.
Expectedly, Google has even a number of publisher partners, who count up to 150, agreeing to provide material to Currents. The list even includes Forbes, PBS, Al Jazeera, PC World, Zagat, Huffington Post and AllThingsD.
Google made a number of revelation, but there was no detailing as to how would the ad revenue be divided.
Google knows that it has to give out this app for free if it intends to stay competitive in this section.
On similar notes, Currents, like Flipboard, allows people to select content from around the Web, such as news, photos, or their own Facebook and Twitter accounts, and arrange it on the screen in a way that lets them flick through the content like pages in a magazine. The formatting is quite accurate for the mobile devices, which makes it easier to navigate, watch and read.
For the ‘still confused’ small publishers, there are a few self-service tools, which would be helpful to them in converting their content so it can be viewed through Google Currents. This wold give them a readymade platform and can be useful in case they do not have their own might not have their own mobile software developers.
For the ‘still confused’ small publishers, there are a few self-service tools, which would be helpful to them in converting their content so it can be viewed through Google Currents. This wold give them a readymade platform and can be useful in case they do not have their own might not have their own mobile software developers.
Talking about Flipboard’s popularity, it was noted that as its app was released on Thursday for iPhone, many people had trouble getting started with the iPhone version when it came out, presumably because its servers were overloaded. So, Google needs to be aware of its popularity, still give a tough fight.
Google would however will have to even compete with Livestand, Yahoo’s offering for a similar section, which was launched last month. Again, there are others even, not in the same, but similar section. Pulse, Zinio and AOL Editions are even quite popular, and cannot be underestimated. They are even free apps, so with Google jumping into the pool, it seems the level has gone up.
Google, as usual had an introductory video to explain its users, what is it all about. One can watch the same below:
{iframe width=”560″ height=”310″ align=”top”}http://www.youtube.com/embed/5LOcUkm8m9w{/iframe}