Spritz app promises to boost reading speeds to 500 words a minute

New Delhi: A new app called Spritz claims to be able to change the way we read and make anyone a speed reader. Spritz works by quickly flashing words onto the same part of a screen so the eyes do not need to refocus. By rapidly changing a word at a time the company says it can boost your reading speeds from about 220 words per minute to 500 and even to 1000 words per minute.The technology works like this: In every word you read, there is an "Optimal Recognition Point” or ORP. This is also called a "fixation point." The "fixation point" in every word is generally immediately to the left of the middle of a word. As you read, your eyes hop from fixation point to fixation point, often skipping significantly shorter words."After your eyes find the ORP, your brain starts to process the meaning of the word that you're viewing," Spritz explains on its website.Spritz indicates the ORP by making it red, and so your eyes don't have to move. The company says the method makes communication faster, easier and more effective by removing the inefficient eye movements associated with traditional reading.Using this app means that you could all 309 pages of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in under 77 minutes. The typical college-level reader reads at a pace of between 200 and 400 a minute.The first use of Spritz will be implemented in an email application for the Samsung Gear 2 and Galaxy S5 smartphone. This one-word-at-a-time technology is likely to be boon for smaller devices like smartphones and smartwatches as there will be no more scrolling, zooming or pinching.Boston-based Spritz, which says it has been in "Stealth Mode" for nearly three years, is working on licensing its technology to software developers, ebook makers and even wearables.The company also adds that the technology can be used for text messages, social media streams, emails, maps of web content and can be integrated onto any mobile device.When used, it was also found that reading with Spritz also promotes increased comprehension of the material as compared to the traditional reading.