Electronics major Sharp has come up with an entirely new e-Book platform and an e-Book format which they have named XMDF or ever-eXtending Mobile Document Format, something that the company has been working on since 2009. The format has been in use in millions of terminal since its inception more than a decade ago, with mobile phones forming the bulk of it. The XDMF has been a hit in Japan and the latest Next Gen XMDF that Sharp launched recently promises to take all the good things a step forward.
So what is the Next Gen XMDF all about?
The new e-book format is an attempt to integrate text, video, audio and an adjustable user interface. Or to put it in simple terms, the entire thing involves offerring any e-book to almost any gadget. The e-books can range from the simplest containing only text to the most complex e-books that may contain video or audio along with style effects and rich graphics. The idea is to make the e-books available on the widest possible range of gadgets like smartphones, tablet devices, TVs, Set Top Boxes, along with even Gaming devices. The XMDF format is already in use on many smart phones, PCs and TVs which means its transition to the next generation should be seemless and hassle free.
However, all of this also means there is the real risk of you being bombarded with video or audio clips which can be extremely annoying. And worse still, you may not have the means to get rid of those that are intruding upon you.
Coming to a good piece of news, Sharp has firmly set its eyes on the US market with Verizon likely to be the official carrier of choice for the upcoming range of Sharp e-readers.
Sovan Mandal is the senior tablet and tech corespondent for goodereader.com. He brings a international approach to news that is not just applicable to the North American market, but also Asia, India, Europe and others. Sovy brings his own writing flavor to the website and is interested in Science Fiction, Technology and Writing. Any questions, send an email
