You don't even
have to move your eyes with the latest speed-reading apps
by: James Bridle
In 2005, a company called
ICUE addressed the imminent problem of reading books from tiny screens by
proposing a slew of new reading techniques. Their system allowed you to read
hundreds of books in a variety of new ways, including a format wherein each word
of the text flashed up on the screen in turn, at high speed. This was a time
when you had to order ebooks by text message, and
ICUE, far ahead of its time, disappeared when this "problem" was effectively
solved by making phones with bigger screens.
But screens are shrinking
once again, turning into smartwatches and
the hovering prism of Google Glass. Step
forward Spritz, a recently
announced app by a team of developers in Boston. The approach is the same –
flash words at the reader as quickly as possible – but the pitch has been
updated. The key terms now are optimal recognition point, the moment in a word
when the brain starts to process the meaning of the word, and saccades, the
tiny, unconscious movements the eye makes as it runs along a line of text.
Remove these and you can raise your reading speed from an average of about 250
words a minute to something ridiculous like 600.
Spritz claims to be
"reimagining reading", and when you start looking there is a host of apps that promise the
same. Velocity integrates with
other iOS apps such as Instapaper and Pocket, while Quickreader includes access to ebook
stores such as Smashwords and
Feedbooks, with millions of
titles available, should you wish to power through Don Quixote in a few
commutes. Like so many technological fixes, Spritz and the like seem to be
answering a question nobody asked. And if you do ask, you'll find that
speed-reading experts say you can do better by running your finger along the
page – but nobody wants to be seen doing that.
from: Guardian
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