The Daily comes to Android?

Rupert Murdoch is not your everyday ‘run-of-the-mill-kinda-news-guy’. For one, the media mogul is listed as one of the world’s most influential people by Time magazine, ranks 13 on Forbes’ 2010 The World’s Most Powerful People list and with a net worth of US$6.3-billion, he is listed at around the 117 of the most wealthiest people on the planet.

Which is probably why he can get away with saying things like “New times demands new journalism” and attach subscription charges to digital media. Not to mention ‘partner’ with Apple to create a glorious eye-candy news application that has everyday non-iPad users sick with jealousy.

The content app, which can be downloaded from iTunes here, employs over 50 top-tier journalists, incorporating a huge sphere of verticals covering a wide angle of topics, from breaking news to sports and entertainment, coupled with engaging video and interactive graphics.

However, according to a recent report by All Things D, News Corp‘s tablet-only magazine/ newspaper may just be heading to Android in the second quarter of this year, despite the seemingly tight-lipped relationship with Apple.

The Daily has always been the offspring of News Corp and is not in any way tied to an actual ‘partnership’ with Apple. However, Murdoch’s team has definitely benefited from Apple’s technical assistance as well as being the first publication to incorporate the Apple subscription service.

While Murdoch may have cited that the Daily will ‘belong’ to the iPad for this year and next year, other sources say differently, with instability issues andan overall decline in subscriptions due to costs potentially forcing a move towards Android’s Honeycomb tablets sooner than expected. News Corp, somewhat expectedly, refuses to comment on these rumors.

Nonetheless, it’s a welcome surprise, one which I certainly hope will help pave the way for future news based apps where exclusivity has been favoured over portability.