Speed Reader is a simple tool that lets you paste some text into it. The tool then blanks out your monitor’s screen and flashes the screen with the words in your text in the order they appear i.e. you read your text one word at a time.

The background color, text color, and font style can all be modified by the user. You can even specify the interval between two words which is set at 200 milliseconds by default.

A feature called “retarding” pauses the text at every punctuation mark to assist reading with effect. But perhaps the best part about the tool is that it requires no installation and packs all these features into a tiny download size of 23KB.

Features:

• Free speed reading program.
• User friendly and very quick to download and setup (no installation required).
• Flashes the screen on word a time, helping you read with speed.
• Can pause text at each punctuation point to help understanding the text.
• Provides customizable options (background color, text color, font style).
• Similar tools: QuickReader, ReadSpeeder, ZAPReader, Eyercize and Spreeder.
• Also read related article: 3 Ways You Can Learn To Speed Read Online.

Get Speed Reader Enhanced @ SourceFourge – Speed Reader Enhanced (via Lifehacker) (by MOin from ThumbPress)

QuickReader is an iPhone application sized at 2.3MB and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad; the OS requirement is iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

Instead of having a very limited number of books or having you enter text, QuickReader contains its own massive library of text. The app does not take the path of regular speed reading aids; it does not flash words at you at a high speed; it instead displays an entire page and provides visual help as to how to read the page faster. This technique also avoids excessive subvocalization.

Features:

• Improve your reading speed.
• Compatible with iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad.
• Employs a unique approach to better help you read faster.
• Supports reading speeds up to 4000 words per minute.
• Can be particularly useful to people whose work involves a lot of reading or research.
• Similar tools: ReadSpeeder, ZAPReader, Eyercize and Spreed.
• Also read related article: 3 Ways You Can Learn To Speed Read Online.

Get QuickReader @ QuickReader App Store Page (via ReadWriteWeb) (by MOin from ThumbPress)

Other features include ability to share text, save reading positions, skip words, a browser bookmarklet to speed read any webpage and an iPhone app.

Features:

• Speed read online using pre-saved text and a speed reading player.
• Registration required to save and share your own text.
• Bookmarklet to directly speed read a webpage.
• Skip words and save reading positions.
• iPhone app available.
• Similar sites: Eyercize, Spreeder, ZAPReader and Spreed.

Check out ReadSpeeder @ www.readspeeder.com (By Abhijeet from Jeet Blog)

It also gives you the option to choose the way you’d like the news to be arranged on the page. It calls them Schemes and you can choose from Priority, Stacked, Giant, Lines, Swiss and many more in the Settings.

Features

• Cool article skimmer for new york times.
• Quickly browse through the headlines on one page.
• Pick any category from the left sidebar.
• Choose from various viewing schemes to arrange the news as you like.
• Choose the clicking options too.

Check out NY Times Article Skimmer @ http://prototype.nytimes.com/gst/articleSkimmer/ (by Abhijeet from Jeet Blog)