By Natasha Baker TORONTO (Reuters) – Speed reading has been around for more than half a century, but new apps are bringing the technique into the digital age, helping users breeze through books faster. “It’s about being able to read a book like ‘Harry Potter’ in an hour and a half and still have the full comprehension of it,” said Pierre DiAvisoo, who created the app and is based in Boras, Sweden. Within just minutes, most readers can learn to double their reading speed to between 400 and 450 words per minute without losing comprehension, according to Spritz, the Boston-based company that created the speed-reading technology. Speed reading techniques are still focused on consuming texts in lines and reading left to right line-by-line,” said Frank Waldman, the chief executive of Spritz. He added that the technology combines rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), with eye research to present words at the ideal recognition point for quick understanding.