Google announced the launch of Google Currents for both Android and iOS on Thursday. Currents is a news aggregation app that pulls togeher content from more than 180 publications, Google+ streams, and YouTube in a manner that’s very similar to the popular iPad app, Flipboard.
Google Promotional Video for Currents
The iOS app is a free download from the U.S. App Store and is a hybrid app built for both iPads and iPhone/iPod touch devices. It’s also available free from the Android Market.
Users can choose desired publications to subscribe to from the available library, or they can add their own RSS, video, and photo feeds, Google+ streams, and current Google Reader subscriptions.Publications at launch include NET, AllThingsD, Forbes, Saveur, PBS, Huffington Post, Fast Company.
The app also has a Trending feature that lets you stay current with what’s happening and browse topics of interest, such as World, Business, Sports, Technology, etc. Google Currents optimizes the content for the small screens and even allows browsing of content while offline.
In addition, there is also a self-service platform available that will allow publishers, regardless of size or technical resources, to post their own content that can be then subscribed to using Google Currents. Google Analytics can also be added to the account to provide information on devices used, content popularity, and location of readers.