Amazon Announces HTML5-Based Kindle Format 8
Amazon Announces HTML5-Based Kindle Format 8
Posted 10/21/2011 at 2:46pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Amazon has made small tweaks to its Kindle e-book format over the years, but now the retailer has surprised the industry again by announcing a new HTML5 version of the Kindle format called Format 8. This approach leverages a toolset that already has wide support and allows a richer experience -- perfect for magazines and comics.
The new HTML5 Kindle format will essentially make books into webpages, with robust handling of images, fonts, and other adaptable content. Amazon has a full list of supported HTML tags, but video and audio tags are not among them, for now at least. So all this is great for the Fire, but what about eInk Kindles? Amazon says that the most recent generation of devices will gain access to Format 8 in the coming months. The Kindle publishing tool will make a copy in the old format for use on legacy devices. Tablets and PC clients will also have access to the HTML5 format.
Some pundits expected that Amazon was planning a move to the open EPUB format, but this new format likely puts to rest that idea. Do you think the Kindle platform will benefit from Format 8?
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Holly Golightly
October 21, 2011 at 3:44pm
I do not think it would benefit pre se, that is because the Kindle is already successful as-is. I prefer to keep my files in my device than access it online. I get patchy broadband service. So depending on where I am at, I may not be able to access any Factor 8 pages at all. I hope Amazon atleast gives us that option to download them.
illusionslayer
October 23, 2011 at 11:27am
Of course he's right.
You've been able to store html files offline since they've existed.
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