The long-rumored Google Play Newsstand for Android has finally launched, and it's not at all what we were expecting. Early reporting and investigation pinned it as a newspaper section of the Play Store, but it's much more than that. Google is selling newspapers and magazines under a single banner, and there's a visual-heavy RSS reader, sort of like Flipboard. This means Newsstand is replacing two of Google's existing apps: Google Play Magazines and Google Currents. Google is pitching Newsstand as "all your subscriptions in one place."

Like most things "Google" these days, calling Newsstand an "app" isn't really the whole story. There's also a new section of the desktop Play Store, and some magazines and newspapers are even viewable in the browser. RSS is strictly confined to the app, though.

Just like the old Play Magazines, paid content is available as a subscription or on a per-issue basis, and 30-day trials are available for some premium content. RSS feeds, magazines, and newspaper can be downloaded for offline reading later, and there's also a bookmark function.

Aside from the Newspaper additions, there isn't much new functionality or content here. It's mostly just a combination of several of Google's offerings into a single "news" section. Those used to apps like Flipboard will feel right at home and may even enjoy the combination of premium and free content, but anyone who feels Flipboard-style apps are visually cluttered messes that can't replace a real RSS reader will find little here to like.