Google Labs can never have a period of inactivity and just when we were wondering what they were up to, they have announced the Google Fast Flip, which allows the user to literally flip through the pages of thousands of publications without having to wait for the page load forever. Usually, in a good broadband connection, it takes almost 10 seconds for each page to load, thanks to all the heavy media files present in each page. If you are reading a newspaper, it takes no time at all.
Thus, Google Flip aims to bridge this gap between web publications and print publications. Some of the mainstream publications that Google has teamed up with in order to begin this service are New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, Salon, Fast Company, ProPublica and Newsweek. The coolest thing about it is that Fast Flip can be accessed from Google Android powered phones and also from the iPhone.
The idea also is to encourage more people to start reading, as publishing industry has taken a beating due to other kinds of media. By making reading an interactive and personalized experience, Google Labs hopes to help the dying publishing industry get a new lease of life. Google Labs never rests and a standing testimony to this fact are the number of products they continue to deliver. Check out the Google Squared which helps in comparison searches and the cool Comic Themes for iGoogle.
Although it is a little distorted, you can watch the Google TechCrunch 50 presentation right below, showing the Fast Flip Google in action as well as explanations and details.
Official Google Fast Flip site.
