Future of news or future of Fast Flip or "tormenting ants with a magnifying glass"

I have to admit that yesterday's RSS and twitter feeds seemed to be all about Fast flip and I hadn't a clue what they were on about.

Anyway I discover that it is Google's latest device to give users a new way to browse newspaper sites and blogs on their desktops and mobile devices.

And the verdict doesn't seem that good.

This from Read Write Web

Google Fast Flip simply isn't a very good product and that it feels more like a step backwards than the future of news.

and concluding that it is

a disappointing product. The cooperation with content producers is interesting, though we wonder if a single AdSense unit on the site will really make newspapers any money. Google Reader or personalized applications like my6sense on the iPhone or feedly on the desktop just seem far more interesting and usable than browsing through a series of screenshots.

Paul Bradshaw describes it as a cruel joke on the industry asking

why are the web-native minds of Google wasting time on such an analogue-mindset concept?

and adding that

it is proof that Google are prepared to cash in on the blind panic of the news industry in the midst of a crisis. Add in their recently mooted micropayments system and it’s almost as if Google are having a bit of fun tormenting ants with a magnifying glass.