Google Fast Flip

According to Google reading news online should be more like reading news in print.

“One problem with reading news online today is that browsing can be really slow. A media-rich page loads dozens of files and can take as much as 10 seconds to load over broadband, which can be frustrating. What we need instead is a way to flip through articles really fast without unnatural delays, just as we can in print,” noted a recent Google blog post.

To solve this problem Google has come up with Fast Flip. The new service allows users to quickly “flip” through related news stories from a number of Google media partners on the project. Stories from three dozen publishers, including the likes of the BBC, The New York Times, BusinessWeek and TechCrunch, are available for users to peruse.

Fast Flip also lets readers drill down into topics and/ or specific publishers. Readers can also share stories via email, they can “like” a story and even enjoy mobile versions on Android handsets or the iPhone, complete with tactile page flipping.

The good news for publishers is that Google will be sharing the revenue generated from ads served on Fast Flip pages, unlike the business model of its controversial Google News service.