HTML5: The Benefits

For those of you who do not know it yet, HTML5 is here and it is ready to use. This standard gives developers and website designers more flexibility while also enabling websites to be more interactive, powerful and efficient.

The best thing about HTML5 is that it is simpler than previous HTML standards, thus giving rise to a cleaner code.

But that’s not all there is to it.

1. Do away with add-ons to play your multimedia. HTML5 allows you to play videos, animations, drawings, and music on the page itself. You do not have to use any add-ons such as Flash and Silverlight, the way that most video sites are doing now.

Also, developers can now use Javascript alone to create diagrams, graphics and animations on any page they create.

2. Geolocation. HTML5 supports geolocation, making location directly available on any compatible browser or application.

3. Offline database. HTML5 also brings with it an SQL-based database that allows those in the client side to store data on their computers.

4. Work your applications offline. With the offline application cache, users can still use and access their applications even when they are not connected to their networks.

5. Great forms. HTML5 allows for better form fields such as better text inputs and better search boxes. It also handles data validation quite well. On top of that, you can create really nice looking forms.

6. Works best for mobile phones. What’s more, HTML5 is going to make it easier for designers to bring their Web pages to iPhones and mobile phones. With most mobile phones having no access to Flash, HTML5 can still deliver videos and other multimedia content to these devices.

Is it any wonder why designers are going crazy over HTML5, even though it means a little bit of a learning curve for them?

Where you might have seen HTML5

Want to try out HTML5 in action? Check out these sites:

Google’s Developer Day 2011

An Event Apart

Bluesteel Brazil