Google social news reader in the pipeline?

Is Google working on a social and news reader to compete with startup Flipboard and social networking giant Facebook? Tech site All Things Digital cited sources close to the situation as saying Google is hard at work on the product initially dubbed "Propeller." "Sources said Propeller is apparently one of a number of new socially focused announcements Google is prepping, including new apps. But the timing for their launch is unclear," it said. AllThingsD described "Propeller" as a souped-up version of similar reader apps like Flipboard, AOL’s Editions, Yahoo’s Livestand, Zite, and Pulse. It noted Facebook is also making social versions of publications available within its site. "So, instead of just seeing a sidebar on a news site of what stories your friends liked, you’ll get a personalized and reformatted version of the latest news when you visit that publication’s page within Facebook," it said. It also cited sources who said it would be available on both Apple’s iPad and Google’s Android tablets. But it said it is still not immediately clear if Google’s "Propeller" will include Facebook integration. For his part, digerati Robert Scoble posted on his Google+ account that he "heard from someone working with Google that Google is working on a Flipboard competitor for both Android and iPad." "My source says that the versions he's seen so far are mind-blowing good," he said. — TJD, GMA News