Google’s Area 120 launches Keen, a Pinterest-like sharable topics-based platform

Google’s new experimental app ‘Keen’ is very similar to the popular Pinterest. Here’s everything you need to know.

Here's how Keen works (Google)

Area 120, Google's workshop for experimental projects, has come out with a new application called “Keen”. The new app is available for Android and web.

The Keen app allows users to create a topic board where they can add relevant links, images, and other content. They can also ask others to collaborate and add more resources. Users can follow other “Keens” as well depending upon their topics of interest.

Under the hood, Google's Keen app leverages Google Search and advanced machine learning algorithms to show users relevant content based on their interest. As users use the app and organise their “Keens”, recommendations become even better, said Google.

Google also recommends Keen users to start curating a Keen even if they're not expert on a topic.

“These bits of content act like seeds and help keen discover more and more related content over time. You can also follow keens that others have created, discovering thousands of hand-curated lists from the community and getting alerts when new things are added,” said Google.

Google's Area 120 team says the app isn't meant for endless browsing but focused on topics users want to share with friends.

That said, Google's Keen app is very similar to Pinterest which more or less allows users to do the same things. It's not just Google which is getting inspired by Pinterest. Earlier this year, Facebook launched an app called “Hobbi” which allows users to upload creative photos of activities based on interests.