In a great example of actually thinking through the experience of reading news, Google has again made a revolutionary new interface (read more at Google Labs or the NY Times). Basically, the site rasterizes the news into low rez and high rez images and allows you to use the now endemic “swipe” gestures and “pinch and stretch” gestures to interact with the images. You can then select to go to the full article in Safari or the high rez image.
What I love about this idea is that they are using the mobile browser to achieve this. Which means this product will likely work across platforms much easier than a single iPhone application. Thereby short cutting the whole cumbersome Apple store approval process.
I think there is something we can learn from this. Thinking beyond “it’s just a browser” to “it’s an app platform” will be the secret to unlocking mobile web browsing. The evolution of mobile browsers is paralleling the development of desktop web browsers but at close to light speed. Months not years between new capabilities.
Check out http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/ on your mobile phone. Which platforms does it work on? Looks good on an iPhone, does it work for your Pre? How about your MyTouch? Or that Crackberry of yours?
Dean McRobie