Google has launched the Google Plus iPad app, which brings a magazine-esque interface and looks similar to the Nexus 7's version of the social network. It's available to download now for free.

Links shared are displayed in boxes with circular icons showing the sharer, along with comment and +1 tallies. Photos expand when clicked, while articles load via the app's browser.

Ars Technica said little space is wasted, and resembles Flipboard - the RSS reader that presents information in a magazine wrapper - though lacks the smooth performance Flipboard creates when moving between pages of content. It's a distance better than Facebook for iPad, though, which has the iPhone app's problem of being slow. Anonymous Facebook engineers claimed a faster app is coming.

In an interview with technology and consumer electronics Web site The Verge, head of design on Android Matias Duarte said Google has narrowed the divide in screen size with the introduction of the Nexus 7. A criticism of Android tablets is that apps have been scaled up for the screen sizes, rather than being built for the platform. The difference between the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 7 is around 3 inches, meaning apps that do scale are at least functional.

Google Plus hangouts are supported, the video chatting service used by President Obama and Rafael Nadel, notably, that supports up to 10 people. iOS offers Facetime, but that's confined to iOS and Mac devices while Google Hangout can be used on any device running the Google Plus app. It also seems like a viable alternative to Skype, the voice chatting service.

It's still difficult for Google to push the social network giant that is Facebook aside, even if sub-par mobile apps are available. Ars Technica also said the app feels more like a news reader than a social network, though that means there's a different category of apps to considering. With Flipboard available on iOS and Android, along with the Metro interface in Windows 8, the magazine-esque design has been popularized.

Google Plus for iOS is available now, for free, as a universal app.