Google Currents is a digital publishing platform to create digital magazines for Android and iOS devices very easily. Within six steps you can create your own magazine with dynamic content.
While you normally need to either know HTML, CSS and Javascript (Baker / Laker Framework) or have to buy expensive software like Adobe InDesign and Digital Publishing Suite Google now offers an easy way to publish your content as a digital magazine.
Google Currents is public and live since yesterday after being in beta since a few months. The platform is built as a single "Kiosk" app where you can have your own publication in. This is as easy as it could be: You only have to import your data from your blog or social media channels (YouTube, Google+, etc.). And you can integrate Google Docs into the magazine, too. If you are a publisher you can start with the Google Currents producer with the simple steps:
- Set your publication's name and meta and decide to use Google Analytics and if you want to have the user's e-mails.
- Create "sections". There you can split up your contents, for example a sections for your blog, one for the videos and one for social media news.
- Now you manage your content. You can edit, remove and add content here. You have a preview all the time.
- Media Library: Manage all your external media here.
- ACLs: Grant access and rights to different users here. This is great when working with several people on the same issue.
- Now distribute your publication! First you can test the publication by just capturing the QR-Code with your device where you have installed the Google Currents App for iOS or Android. You can also set a publication date when it should be live.
So it's just that easy. The problem is, that's also all you can do. No real layout changes etc are possible. And when you look to the reader-app on your device you will notice why: It looks like a RSS-reader or like Zite app – by Google.
Conclusion: Google Currents is a super easy way to publish your existing contents (blog, etc.) to this new Kiosk. The Kiosk seems to work similar to Apple's Newsstand (but simpler). If you want to have your own layout and other options, this might not be the right way to go.