Kindle Now Supports HTML 5

Thursday, 27 October 2011 08:30 Written by Anthony Booysen

Amazon has brought their support for web standards up to date with the adoption of HTML 5. The latest offering from Amazon implementing these features is the Kindle Fire tablet.

Rich media content clearly takes precedence for Amazon, in providing users an interactive graphical experience recreating and enhancing the original product content in a digital format.

The new Kindle devices boast a wide range of features and enhancements. KF8 is the next generation file format for Kindle books replacing the older Mobi 7 format.

In the past Amazon kept away from open standards, forcing publishers to provide their books in a proprietary format exclusive to their systems, maintaining firm control on Kindle content.

The support of standardised HTML 5 adds over 150 new formatting capabilities to improve digital content.

Apple without its core - The end of an era

Tuesday, 30 August 2011 05:57 Written by Mark Seabrook

Steve Jobs in 1984 with original Macintosh and in 2011 with the iPad

On Wed 24th August Steve Jobs, 56 years old CEO and co-founder of Apple submitted his resignation in which he recommended Tim Cook, Apple COO, as his successor. Tim Cook has already been managing the company since January while Steve Jobs was on medical leave. Steve Jobs will continue to serve Apple in his new role as chairman of the Apple board.

This change is not surprising and is unlikely to have any significant impact in the short term with product road maps already planned and Steve Jobs in his role as chairman likely to remain actively involved. However in years to come will anyone be able to match the singular vision of product development and design of Steve Jobs which has made Apple so successful and their products so desirable?

What this event has done is give everyone reason to look back at the one of the most successful and extraordinary careers in the technology industry. Steve Jobs practically began the personal computer industry and in more recent years has reshaped the mobile phone, music, movie and animation businesses. Here are some of the key moments along the way:

1969 Steve Jobs meets Steve Wozniak.

1975 Steve and Woz start assembling Apple I computers in the Jobs' garage, and sell them to hobbyists.

1976 Apple Computer Inc. is incorporated by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne.

1977 Apple makes a huge sensation at the West Coast Computer Faire with a prototype Apple II.

1978 The Apple II becomes the first mass-market personal computer, a huge hit all around the US.

At Apple, work starts on Apple III and Lisa

1979 Steve Jobs is shown the first working graphical user interface at Xerox PARC.

1980 Apple goes public, increasing Steve Jobs' net worth to over $200

'Every pirate wants to be an admiral' - Why less copyright gets you more culture

Tuesday, 31 May 2011 10:36 Written by Lara Aucamp

Blogger and activist Cory Doctorow argues that the mainstream accuses all new media of piracy. Until of course, that new media becomes the mainstream.

Here's a short video that he recorded for The Guardian called "Every Pirate Wants to Be an Admiral," in which he lays out the case for a less-restrictive copyright as being better for culture.