Spritz: new text streaming application which reinvents reading one word at a time

A patent-pending reading application included with two new Samsung products streams single words with an optimal recognition point and claims to increase reading speeds dramatically.

Spritz was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 23 after three years of 'stealth mode' research and development.

Using a display called a 'Redicle', Spritz displays a single word at a time, with a red letter marking the optimal recongition point (ORP) and will be particularly useful on wearable technology such as Samsung's Gear 2 but can also be found on the Galaxy S5 smartphone.

Spritz's original media release explains the technology and how it speeds up reading by saving the time usually spent by the eye moving to the next word and seeking the ORP:
 'Spritz's technology streams individual words inside of a special display called the "Redicle," which helps the eyes to position themselves precisely at the recognition point for each word. The most time-consuming part of reading is the eye movement from word to word. By applying their new method of word alignment that's based on the science of how people traditionally recognise words while reading, Spritz takes eye movement out of the equation, allowing much more to be read in the same amount of time. Spritz provides proprietary algorithms to identify how long to display words and sentences, providing an unparalleled natural reading experience.
'Spritz technology currently supports English, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Korean, with more languages on the way. With multiple reading speeds to match a user's comfort level ranging from 100 to 1000 words per minute, "spritzing" is easy to learn for all ages. Users typically become accustomed to reading in this new format within a few minutes of their first spritz. Available with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Gear 2, Spritz offers licensing options for its integration within operating systems, applications, websites and wearable technologies.'
Questions remain as to whether this altered way of reading will have any unintentional side-effects - for example will it be better for our eyes or worse? Will it increase retention of information and what impact will it have on the format of books and the publishing industry?

Try it for yourself (in a gif version):



Read the full media release
Visit the Spritz website

Update 2018: Spritz Inc now reports that since its launch: '...Spritz has been covered by hundreds of publications across the globe and adopted by leading publishers and brands to engage with millions of their users. Available on desktops, smartphones and wearables, the technology is currently supported in more than 20 languages and used in over 50 countries.'

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