Google Currents represented the company’s entry into social magazine apps, the beautified and oft-misunderstood consolidator of RSS data into a premium reading experience. Unlike its competitors Flipboard, Zite and Pulse, Currents was not open to international users.
Though it debuted for iOS and Android, its true lineage was on Android, being one of the first truly gorgeous tablet apps for Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s a truly curated experience, too, with publishers such as The Guardian and 500px, which brings it more along the lines of Flipboard’s Cover Stories than a standard RSS reader.
Version 1.1 provides local content, too, and publisher-controlled translation provided by Google Translate. This way you can read Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung without leaving the app. The service syncronizes across Google accounts so what you’re reading on your Android phone is made immediately available on the iPad and vice versa. Since Pulse added this feature in a recent update it has become one of my most appreciated additions, as sync helps you avoid redundancy and bloat.
One of my favourite additions to Currents is the 500px library, displaying gorgeous images from across the varied community. The app is easily one of Android’s most beautiful, and is right at home on Ice Cream Sandwich. If you have been looking for a good Flipboard alternative on Android, or are just looking for something new on iOS, I’d encourage you to try Currents.
Learn more about Google Currents, and download Android or iOS version.
Source: Google
