Android newsstand in works as Apple in iTunes deal

Google is readying a newsstand for Android devices even as Apple is racing to make important concessions on its iTunes news subscription plans, multiple sources said Sunday night. The search engine is reportedly hoping to race Apple to a central periodical platform and would aggregate phone- and tablet-optimized magazine or newspaper apps in a central place. The company would try to lure publishers away from Apple by undercutting its own usual 30 percent cut, the WSJ heard, and by agreeing to give private subscriber information that Apple has so far refused.

It would provide a "more consistent experience" for users, the insiders said, and would help publishers get paid.

As has so far been the case with most of Google's media strategy, any deal would be tentative. Major publishers Conde Nast, Hearst and Time have all supposedly talked to Google, whose team was believed led by its e-commerce head Stephanie Tilenius. However, the timing is said to be vague, and the portal might not come to fruition.

Google may consider the store vital in the long-term. It's about to enter into tablets in earnest at CES with models from at least Motorola but also HTC, LG and Samsung running its tablet-optimized Android 2.4 build at the Las Vegas expo. Hopes of competing with Apple's iPad are widely thought to be hinging on how much of Android and its apps are optimized for the larger screen size. Samsung has already entered the tablet space with the Galaxy Tab and has a Reader Hub (pictured) intended for reading books and periodicals, but it has had relatively little uptake.

A leak accompanying the Android news has revealed that Apple may be willing to bend partly to make its rumored iTunes subscription plans a reality. In addition to allowing the option of paying for a subscription rather than by title, making it possible to discount a magazine or newspaper over the long term, the company would also provide a minor, voluntary concession on privacy. Customers who agreed to a subscription could voluntarily give personal information, including at least a name and e-mail address, to help target advertising or offer promotional extras like paper issues.

Some are said to be agreeing to these terms and would take them live early this year, according to the tips. Most likely, this would entail at least News Corp's daily news outlet, which could be active as soon as mid-January and sell for 99 cents per week. Others are purportedly unhappy, as they doubt many would voluntarily hand over the information. Voluntary data is also often skewed and doesn't completely reflect the subscriber base.

Regardless of who participated, Apple's plans for the iPad may revolve around having a dedicated news app that could download titles in the background and give users a more Kindle-like experience where new issues are already waiting. While it could arrive earlier, some rumors have put the app's release in sync with that of the next-generation iPad, where possible performance and display improvements could improve the subjective experience.

By Electronista Staff