"I learned to give space to things, to reduce the amount of text.
The first generation of chips stores up to 512,000 bytes of information, roughly the amount of text in a slim novel.
The company has also reduced the amount of text and graphics on the Web site's home page, while also simplifying its drop-down menus.
Mr. Johnson said the company hoped to avoid any copyright woes by limiting the amount of text that users can share.
Some of the loading screens can be a bit sluggish, and the amount of text on the screen can make selections imprecise at times, but it's still a hugely enjoyable time-sink.
The amount of text is a balancing act, I think – too much and people won't read it, but you do need something to give a bit of context and information about the picture.
"We take the view, backed up by international copyright law, that no copyright is violated in this process since the amount of text displayed is so small and it's purely for information," said Courtney Hohne, a Google spokeswoman, in an phone interview from Singapore.
"And my agent said, 'I'm not sure it's big enough for you.' But I am honoured to be doing Shakespeare in London and, as it turns out, quite pleased that the amount of text is limited for my first shot at English Shakespeare".
