NEW KID IN TOWN: Last week Amazon announced that the KF8 would replace MOBI as its e-reader format. This new format, based on HTML5, allows developers and publishers access to all the sweet, versatile CSS3 formatting they can imagine. (This news comes barely a month after Amazon unveiled the Kindle Fire tablet, which naturally gets first dibs on these new features.) This doesn't make life easier for those making decisions on hardware commitments. Amazon devices have long stuck with its MOBI format, while others (iPhones, iPads, Nooks, Sony Readers) have embraced the more "open" EPUB. (Gizmodo thoroughly describes here the complexities behind proprietary e-reader formats and, yes, the loathed DRM conundrum). Are HTML5/CSS3 features enough to get publishers and developers to join team Amazon? Or will others follow suit and create a more HTML5-friendly EPUB upgrade? We wait and see.
