Discover something new with Read&Write

Back in the fall, we released a new version of the Simplify tool in Read&Write for Google Chrome™, providing an even speedier and more accurate way to remove clutter from busy webpages and simplify the important content underneath. And with the recent additions of font size, font style and line spacing options, the Simplify tool has really grown into so much more. Today, we are excited to announce the latest addition - the Discover feature.

The new Discover feature (currently in beta) enables users to explore new topics and expand their knowledge when reading content on the web. When reading an article, it’s easy to find yourself opening tab after tab to Google unknown terms found in your text, potentially losing sight of the page and topic you started with. The Discover feature adds in-context popup windows for many terms right within your text. Just click on a purple underlined word or phrase, and get a definition, background information or image to tell you more about that topic. You can even use text to speech on the Read&Write toolbar to read the content aloud.

GIF of Read and Write Simplify Tool with Discover Feature

Powered by Wikipedia, the Discover feature can help support users’ reading comprehension, and is the perfect jumping-off point for doing additional, more rigorous research. We’ve made it a beta feature so you can have your say on how effective and helpful it is. If you find some content that’s not quite right or doesn’t fit the context, just click the Report option at the bottom of the popup in question. We’ll use your feedback to continue improving the Discover feature in real-time. 

The Discover beta will automatically be available starting today. To find it, just use the Simplify tool on the Read&Write for Google Chrome toolbar and look for the “Discover (beta)” toggle at the top of the page.

Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section below.