Google continues to push the Google Play Newsstand app as your single source for news and information about topics you care about as well as a magazine reader. The latest update add something simple but important for those who start their day with this app: Local weather. Now when you open up the app, at the top in the Headlines section you will see the local temperature as well as the forecast high and low for the day. You will also see an icon next to the temperature to indicate if it is sunny, raining, snowing and other weather conditions.
The updated version of the app is in the Google Play Store now and it is version 3.4.6 for those keeping score at home and if you already have the app installed on your phone or tablet, you should see the OTA update shortly.
In addition to the weather information, Google has also improved the article layouts in the app to improve loading speeds and performance.
Google Play Newsstand – Free – Download Now
Google Play Newsstand Aims To Be Your Start-The-Day App
While you can go to many apps on your phone or table to get news and information, Google is positioning Newsstand as the place to go to start your day. Because the news and information you get
Google Play Newsstand
in the app is customizable and personalized to you, the idea is to give you the information the way you want it in one place. Add to that magazine subscriptions which you can subscribe to and read within the app (often at a lower cost than the same magazine on Amazon). It is well rounded and an app that I have been using since the early days of moving to Android.
Does it hit this target then of being the start-the-day app? Not 100% but really close. There are some things that the app could add that would make it really outstanding such as weather forecasts (not just the weather at the minute), the ability to better organize your topics of interest and improved notifications (which were addressed in this release). So no, it’s not quite there but it is close and if you haven’t tried Newsstand out, give it a go and see what you think.
