Google, Yahoo! Soon To Launch Digital Newsstands

Both Yahoo! and Google are expected to unravel their new digital newsstand apps next week, says a report from All Things D. Yahoo will launch Livestand, aimed at tablets and mobile phones and will offer content to people based on their personal interests. Livestand will feature content from Yahoo!’s properties as well as outside publications.

Tapping on the publication brings you into a screen with one main story on top and three or four smaller ones at the bottom. All of the boxes include eye catching photos, and they are customized based on preferences that have been determined thanks to activity on Yahoo.

In the meantime, Google’s Propeller is also expected to arrive, although we might witness a name change to “Currents” before it’s officially unveiled to the public. According to All Things D, the Google Propeller is powered by HTML5 technology and is essentially a Flipboard that offers full integration with Google+.

Google’s e-newsstand will enable newspapers and magazines to showcase their apps for Android smartphones and tablets. Google hopes to launch it in part to provide a more consistent experience for consumers who want to read periodicals on Android devices, and to help publishers collect payment for their apps. Some of the publishers approached by Google are Time Warner’s Time Inc, Conde Nast and Hearst. Also Google is due to take a lesser share from the revenue, compared to Apple’s 30 percent charge on sale of apps over iTunes counter.

Both companies will be after Flipboard, which has been downloaded 4 million times and has lined up 50 publishing partnerships. It also has a very tight connection with social networks Twitter and Facebook.