I've just come across a google product called Google Fast Flip. Fast Flip experiment was added to google labs a few weeks ago, and according to the google news blog, "Fast Flip is a new reading experience that combines the best elements of print and online articles. Like a print magazine, Fast Flip lets you browse sequentially through bundles of recent news, headlines and popular topics, as well as feeds from individual top publishers"

Having looked at Fast Flip, it seems like it is almost like a news version of a thumbnail gallery. The page shows screenshots of newspages (the way these pages are chosen will probably be influenced by your google web history, or personal preferences). Google have partnered with a few news websites to share content ad revenue, which is how fast flip is funded. This Fast Flip experiment was launched before the recent Rupert Murdoch news announcement that he is to block News Corp content from Google's index. It is not clear whether the Fast Flip product had any involvement in this decision, but no mention was made of it in the announcement.

Google have also made a mobile version of Fast Flip with tactile page flipping for Android-powered devices and the iPhone, so you can browse on the go. Personally, I think I'll stick with my BBC News app, which works really well on my Android phone, and does focus mainly on American news stories.