Spritz

Spritz

The truth of the matter remains however, which is why Spritz was so popular with our readers. The team behind the mobile app believes that humans can reach much, much faster reading speeds by using their system of ‘streaming’ text at up to 600 words per minute. Based on the theory that most readers are slowed down by the movements of the eye as it scans lines of text, Spritz squeezes entire novels into a small, 300 pixel-wide space and flashes each word for a brief fraction of a second. It’s remarkably effective, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the tech applied in a wide range of applications over the next few years.

There was another innovative technology — also designed to facilitate reading — that stood out for us this year. The Finger Reader initiative from MIT provides visually impaired readers with a wearable ring that can scan written text and read it out loud. The innovation could open up the vast amount of literature still unavailable in Braille to blind and visually impaired readers.