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Old 07-27-2005, 10:23 PM   #1
StuBear
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Mobile Mag reviews Rapid-Fire Reading for your cell

While browsing over on Mobile Magazine, I came across this story about RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) - they flash one word at a time onto the screen for a very short time. Check out their web-demo to get the idea. Not sure I would like this for full-time reading but might be useful when all you have is you mobile phone and a long wait

BuddyBuzz, who offers RSVP, has a list of supported phones available (alas it doesn't seem to include any Japanese models).
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Old 07-29-2005, 01:20 AM   #2
Pride Of Lions
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I understand that they're trying to make reading on a small phone's screen an alright experience, but the lack of control would drive me nuts. What if I blinked (I'm a fastish reader and had the simulator set to "Fastish")? Or, what if I was distracted from the reading (had to move up in whatever line I'm waiting in or something)? Of course I could always scroll back using their controls, but it's still not intuitive enough for me.

The other side of the coin is that setting the speed slower and it seems halting and the flow is definitely not human. It's like reading 3 words at a time, then a slight pause before the next set. Anything too slow and I'd llikely forget what it is I'm reading and it's context. That's what happens with trying to make the phone do everything, compromises are made. It's tempting to use the phone as an all-encompassing content medium because most people who have mobile phones carry them everywhere and are likely to use the various functions (camera, voice recorder,...) and it's an easy way to sell and distribute digital content (or the idea of digital content). I can't blame these developers for at least trying. Ultimately the masses will either adopt the product or they won't.

With this particular product, I'd like to see them give more control to the consumer. Maybe make the "3" key the advance-one-word key, and the "1" key the back-one-word key. Sure, it's a recipe for repetitive stress syndrome, but at least the person can click to their reading speed and when they click "2", maybe the book ends and marks the spot (so they can concentrate on whatever.) Plus, what's a little repetitive stress syndrome when your eyes are developing tired-eye syndrome from staring at a little low-resolution screen trying to read a book.

The market will out.
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Old 07-29-2005, 12:18 PM   #3
StuBear
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I downloaded the jar file in hope that it would work on my vodaphone or my wife's DoCoMo cell phone, but no dice. Same for running it on my Zaurus

The instructions on the BuddyBuzz site say that the down key increases speed, the up key slows things down and the left key returns you to the start of the sentence, so you are safe if you blink

On on off topic question, do all cell phones have the d-ring control around a central function button or is this just a Japanese thing?

I've seen a couple of celll phones that are trying to bridge the gap between phone and pda, but none of them have really made it. I agree that cell phones are being pushed as the ultimate digital tool, but I'd much rather carry a pda that had phone capabilities (or internet) than a phone with pda capabilities.

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