Mobile Speed Reading With BuddyBuzz

BuddyBuzzResearchers at Stanford University’s Persuasive Technology Lab are working to offer a faster way to read text on mobile phones. The system, called BuddyBuzz, puts up words on the mobile screen one at a time in a stream — the rate of change can be increased to 700 words per minute. To give you an idea of the technology there’s a video demo here. The streaming technique — called RSVP (rapid serial visual presentation) — is not new, and the labs director of design and research BJ Fogg has previously attempted to use the technique to deliver content to watches. Now he’s developing it for mobiles, where I think it will be more successful.
As I read it this technology is not intended to be used with SMS, which are short and designed to be read on the mobile screen, but rather with full-length news and magazine article which are too long to comfortably read on your mobile. At the moment Reuters and CNet articles are available, along with some blogs. As to whether this will take off…”Some people do it real easily,” said Fogg, who’s been using RSVP for four years. “And some people just can’t put the words together.” He also mentions that some people dislike losing control over the reading process and the inability to “jump around” within the text. With RSVP you start seeing a stream of words rather than each individual one, and just absorb the meaning, and you have to be focussed on your screen to do it. I think this is a good idea which some people will love, giving it the possibility of commercial success. The team are also looking at incorporating a ratings system and and social networking system into the technology…
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