Google and Yahoo to Launch Digital Newsstands
Both Yahoo and Google are set to release digital newsstands akin to Flipboard and Pulse shortly.
According to the Livestand landing page, Livestand is a personalized digital newsstand app that combines visually stunning design with personalized content from leading third-party publishers and Yahoo!’s global media network.
Google will follow Yahoo with the launch of its own product, code-named Propeller. It may stick with the brand, but it very well could debut with the name Currents, according to All Things D. It will likely roll out a week or two following Livestand.
Both apps are entering into a crowded space, with the likes of Flipboard, Pulse, CNN’s Zite, and AOL’s Editions. Apple just recently launched Newsstand, an app which consolidates digital magazines and newspapers into one location, with iOS 5.
Google Propeller is an HTML5-based reader with versions for the iPad and Android-based tablets. It is being touted as an enhanced version of Flipboard, which will also feature deep integration with Google’s social network, Google+.
Speculation about a Google digital newsstand began in January when the Wall Street Journal claimed that Google would unveil such a service with partnerships with major publishers including Time Inc, Hearst, Conde Nast, and others. These publishers could soon be joined by a plethora of media partners.
Sources
Swisher, K. Yahoo’s Livestand and Google’s Propeller Set to Launch Next Week. AllThingsD. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from http://allthingsd.com/20111028/news-reader-traffic-jam-yahoos-livestand-and-googles-propeller-set-to-launch-aiming-at-flipboard/
