TechBays

Google Fast Flip is a faster way of browsing through pages of popular newspapers and magazines online.

Application Site: http://fastflip.googlelabs.com

Steps:

Step-1. Go to Application Site.

Step-2. Select subject by category (Popular, Sections, Sources, Topics). Currently there are 39 sources [1].

Step-3. Flip through snapshots, by pressing right or left arrows, of magazines and newspapers per subject area [2].

Process Time: 1 second to flip through pages.

Innovation: Google Fast Flip’s snapshots take about 1 second to load. Compare that with 10 or more seconds to load by the actual news site.

Compare: Google Reader. Techmeme. Actual news site like BusinessWeek.

Notes:

[1] Some sources include BBC News, Billboard, Business Week, Esquire, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, Newsweek, Popular Mechanics, Salon, Slate, TechCrunch, The Atlantic, Washington Post.

[2] You can drill down a news item by clicking on the snapshot. You can continue to flip pages by the right and left arrows. You can go “Back to frontpage” or “Read full story”.

[3] What’s in it for Google? Google places a banner ad on the right hand side corner of the screen, except for mobile versions.