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Smartwatches FT Financial Times

Financial Times moves into wearables with launch of fastFT app on Samsung Gear S

By Angela Haggerty | Reporter

August 29, 2014 | 2 min read

The Financial Times has launched its fastFT service on the Samsung Gear S in its first venture into the wearables space.

The publisher has teamed up with technology provider Spritz to create the app, which will deliver a written content stream to users at a speed of their choosing. It’s the first deal with a publisher for Spritz, and the app will be available on Samsung's freshly unveiled Samsung Gear S smartwatch.

John Ridding, FT chief executive, said: “Streaming fastFT through Spritz on wearables gives our readers the opportunity to be first to try an innovative new method of reading.

“It supports our strategy of making FT journalism available in whatever format our readers choose, and reflects the rapid growth of mobile, which now counts for almost half of all our digital traffic.”

Frank Waldman, Spritz co-founder and CEO, added: “By partnering with the Financial Times on the fastFT app for the Samsung Gear S, we’re reinventing the way people read their favourite content on wearables and other mobile devices.

“Spritz is helping publishers and brands succeed in this new digital space by delivering information such as news, email and social on small screens in an easy and efficient way while consumers are on the go.”

More than half of the fastFT traffic – which was launched as a mobile-first product – comes from mobile devices, and the FT overall has committed substantial resources to shifting the publisher’s business model to fit the digital landscape.

Smartwatches FT Financial Times

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