Could Your Future Smartphone Help You Read Faster?

Boston-based startup Spritz has introduced a new speed-reading format that will reportedly be available on Samsung's forthcoming Gear 2 smartwatch and Galaxy S5 smartphone.

learn more about Geoff Weiss

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

If everything in tech is becoming faster, perhaps our reading abilities should follow suit.

The average reader spends just 20 percent of the time processing content -- the remaining 80 percent is spent moving one's eyes from word to word. So says Boston-based startup Spritz, which is looking to upend the standard paginal reading model with new technology that it claims could allow people to read more than twice as fast as they do now.

And one of the biggest digital conglomerates is standing firmly behind the development: Samsung's forthcoming Gear 2 smartwatch and Galaxy S5 smartphone, announced at the Mobile World Congress, will reportedly ship with Spritz in their respective email applications. Spritz says its technology is designed specifically for smaller mobile screens.

Related: Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone: A Quick Preview

The technology scraps traditional "pages" for a small box within which only one word or syllable appears at a time. By design, this minimizes the "saccades," or lengthy transitions, that our eyes must make between words. It also means that e-readers no longer have to scroll through or magnify lengthy pages of text:

The average adult reader typically clocks 300 words per minute, according to a recent study by Staples. Spritz users, on the other hand, can select speeds between 250 and 1,000 words per minute in increments of 50. At the highest end of this spectrum, a reader might get through an entire novel like Catcher in the Rye in a little over an hour.

Related: E-Reading Startup Oyster Raises $14 Million

Each word is also aligned within the box, or "redicle," to emphasize its Optimal Reading Point (ORP). Vertical hash marks and a single red letter denote each word's ORP, or the fragment whereby meaning is most easily processed.

The company also determined that the human eye can only focus on a maximum of 13 characters at once, and so longer words are hyphenated accordingly. Spritz also uses a specially-designed font for maximum readability.

In the FAQ section of its site, the company envisions 'spritzing' for email, texting, social media, closed captioning, digital books and also to embed messages within images or videos.

The company says that the new reading technique is immediately learnable by children and adults alike, with no special training required. Three years of "stealth" research also revealed that retention is just as good with spritzing as it is with traditional reading.

Related: College Entrepreneur Creates App to Sync Music With Running Speed

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Related Topics

Editor's Pick

This 61-Year-Old Grandma Who Made $35,000 in the Medical Field Now Earns 7 Figures in Retirement
A 'Quiet Promotion' Will Cost You a Lot — Use This Expert's 4-Step Strategy to Avoid It
3 Red Flags on Your LinkedIn Profile That Scare Clients Away
'Everyone Is Freaking Out.' What's Going On With Silicon Valley Bank? Federal Government Takes Control.
Leadership

How to Detect a Liar in Seconds Using Nonverbal Communication

There are many ways to understand if someone is not honest with you. The following signs do not even require words and are all nonverbal queues.

Celebrity Entrepreneurs

'I Dreaded Falling in Love.' Rupert Murdoch Is Getting Hitched for the Fifth Time.

The 92-year-old media tycoon announces he will wed former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith.

Productivity

Having Trouble Focusing? Here's How to Become Unstoppable in Your Performance

Here are a few tips on how to improve your focus, discipline and ability to complete projects.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas To Start Right Now

To start one of these home-based businesses, you don't need a lot of funding -- just energy, passion and the drive to succeed.

Leadership

How Great Entrepreneurs Find Ways to Win During Economic Downturns

Recessions are an opportunity to recalibrate and make great strides in your business while others are unprepared to brave the challenges. Here's how great entrepreneurs can set themselves up for success despite economic uncertainty.

Starting a Business

Selling Your Business? Do These 6 Things Right Now.

If you want the maximum price you need to make these moves before you do anything else.