14 DAY TRIAL // Google isn't afraid of experimenting, even if it’s the biggest thing online. And when it does it in the safety of a 'lab,' there's nothing really holding it back. The latest experiment is Google Reader Play, which, in reality, has less in common with Google Reader and more with Fast Flip, yet another Google experiment. Reader Play is a new way of experiencing feeds and finding new stuff from blogs and sites making for a much more visual experience by ditching much of the text.
"[T]oday, I’m happy to announce an experimental product from the Google Reader team that makes the best stuff in Reader more accessible for everyone, while giving Reader users a new way to view their feeds. It’s called Google Reader Play, and it’s a new way to browse interesting stuff on the web that’s easy to use and personalized to the things you like," Google engineer Garrett Wu wrote.
Visually, Google Reader Play couldn't be different from Google Reader. While the latter emphasizes usability and cramming in as much information without being overwhelming, Play strips everything down to the bare minimum. Items are presented over a black backdrop, there is a thumbnail list of stories in the lower part of the screen and that's pretty much it.
The appeal of Play, apart from the visual presentation, is that it is filled with the most starred and shared items in Google Reader at any one point. As a result, the list can be very similar for all users, but, if they are logged into their Google accounts, the stories are customized based on what they and their friends find the most interesting.
It's an interesting experiment, but it's not going to replace Google Reader anytime soon, not that it's intending to. A lot like Fast Flip, for heavy or regular users, it's fun for a couple of minutes, after which they go back to the regular version. However, on certain devices, like the iPad or a TV screen, the interface and the philosophy behind it, to make the user jump through as fewer loops as possible, are much more suited.
