NEW YORK CITY-It’s easier than ever to receive information online. News aggregation sites, Google Reader and Twitter offer ways to catch up on reports, breaking news and daily deals essential to those in the commercial real estate industry. However, modern professionals’ schedules are frequently packed, leaving less time to read and absorb the news. Mark Armstrong, editorial director of the recently launched reading app called Pocket, aims to squeeze time and space, by allowing users to save articles, video and other online content to be read offline at a leisurely pace. However, this tool begs the question: can a simple app change the way we read?

Armstrong thinks so. He describes Pocket as “a DVR for the web,” creating space in a place where information is constantly flowing. It gives high-quality content the attention it deserves, just maybe not the second it hits a website. “Once people start saving content and coming back to it, their behavior changes,” he explained recently via phone interview. “People then have the ability to consume more content, to dig into more in depth material. “

This app also puts media consumption back in the hands of the audience. People can read what they want, when they want without the urgency of checking news before it’s gone. It’s empowering, he says, and “the big promise is its ability to create a personal filter for your own content consumption, to take control of how and when you consume content.”