Google Currents to be baked in to Jelly Bean
The magazine-style reader will come with Jelly Bean, and Face Unlock has a new blink detector.
Google's magazine-style reader app is now part of the bundled package that comes with Android Jelly Bean, Android Central reports.
Google Currents will join the likes of Gmail, YouTube, Talk and Maps in Android 4.1. That's quite a prestigious position for the app, so well done Currents, consider yourself promoted.
Currents will come pre-installed on devices shipping with Jelly Bean, like the Nexus 7, as well as being part of the over-the-air update that'll reach the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S2, and Motorola Xoom next month. Good news if you own any of the above devices and want to read pages with a magazine layout, just like with Flipboard.
Google sent an email to content partners alerting them to the fact, stressing that more people than ever will be able to use Currents. (And encouraging them to optimise their offerings for the service.)
That's not the only recent addition to Android Jelly Bean. Face Unlock has been given an overhaul as well, tightening up its rather lax security. The feature lets you unlock your phone just by looking at it: great, until it was revealed it could be fooled by a photo of your face. Well now Google has added a "Liveness Check" that means you have to blink before it'll let you get access to your phone. Hence if you match the facial profile, and you're alive, you've nothing to worry about.
It's similar to Samsung's "Blink Unlock" feature. Face Unlock needed some bolstering, though in Google's defence, it always said it was experimental, and more of a novelty than a belt and braces security option.
It's just a couple of weeks before Jelly Bean will be available now. Are you excited? Let me know what you make of the new features on our Facebook page, or in the comments below.