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Google Currents Announced, A Flipboard Killer? [Video]

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Just one day has passed since Flipboard, the wildly popular app on the iPad, was officially launched for the iPhone, Google jumped into the game by announcing Google Currents. Google Currents is already available for download. I wonder why Google would wait until the day after to launch this? Why not launch it before Flipboard? Who knows.

Google Currents is available for iOS and Android only, bad news for Windows Phone. Keep using Weave.

If you don’t know what Flipboard is, it’s basically a way to read your content in a magazine style layout. It aggregates all your own personalized sources of content like Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds and more, putting it all in one place. The way Flipboard displays this content is elegant and flawless, unless somehow an ugly photo from Facebook pops up one day and scares you like a friend of mine had happen recently. (Click the below image at your own risk)

Will Google Currents be a direct competitor to Flipboard?

I see the striking similarities, but without being able to add your Twitter lists and Facebook accounts, it’s not exactly Flipboard. You can add your own RSS feeds that you are subscribed to with Google Reader, but you can’t add custom Twitter feeds from lists and you can’t add Facebook. Publisher can add their content themselves to be included.


The main screen (left) shows your subscriptions and has a scroller going randomly through your subscriptions. You can add social media accounts (right) to share content with others.


You can add RSS Feeds from your Google Reader account (left) and you can follow people like Guy Kawasaki and Scoble who curate (right) conversations and content.

We strive to give you beautiful and simple ways to experience all the content the web has to offer, such as sharing photos on Google+, watching YouTube videos and discovering books, movies and music from Android Market. Today we’re expanding our content offering with the introduction of Google Currents, a new application for Android devices, iPads and iPhones that lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger.

I’d definitely like to see this come to Windows Phone. I really like using Flipboard on my iPad. It makes it enjoyable to catch up with Facebook and Twitter with breakfast in a nice magazine format.

https://youtu.be/5LOcUkm8m9w

Read more about Google Currents @ the Google Mobile Blog

  • Download Google Currents for iOS from iTunes
  • Download Google Currents for Android from the Market
Will Google Currents be the next Google Wave or the next Google Maps Navigation? What do you think of this app?
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