What is .MOBI?

.MOBI @ Wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.MOBI

.MOBI News and Documentation
http://pc.mtld.MOBI/mobilenet/newsevents.html

.MOBI Web Developers Guides
http://pc.mtld.MOBI/mobilenet/dotmobi_guides.html

"Worldwide, there are more digital mobile phones than televisions and PCs combined. According to recent research, from Mobinet mobile communications study, April 2005, A.T. Kearney/University of Cambridge more than half of mobile handsets are less than a year old, with most having full Internet capabilities. In emerging markets where fixed line communications are scarce, analysts predict wireless will be the communication channel of choice.

That’s where dotmobi comes in - we make the mobile device as useful as a PC for browsing and data services, but far more portable.

Dotmobi provides the critical link between the mobile operator, Internet services and the users to make their mobile devices the Internet and communication tool of choice."

So what would it mean to push everyday people past learning curves & other mobile web usage issues and assimilate them into mobile web users?

.MOBI or dotmobi is a new ICANN approved Top Level Domain name that is on it's way that will be intended as a platform solely for the Mobile Web. Cellphones, PDA's, all "handhelds" etc that access the Internet have many hurdles when it comes to navigation and functionality on the web. The .MOBI standard / TLD will be trying to curb the apparent bottlenecks that prevent the masses from better utilizing their mobile products on the Internet. With there being as much as 4X as many cell phones on earth then there are desktop computers, this is an exciting time for publishers and marketers alike, it will mean big business. There was a time when many of us were overwhelmed by our computers,,,, I experience this problem with my cell phone and hate using it for anything other then talking, so what would it mean to push everyday people past learning curves & other mobile web usage issues and assimilate them into mobile web users? $$$ Money for businesses, productivity/entertainment for mobile consumers and on a grand scale.

One of the biggest problems of handheld internet use is navigation:

Most URL's use a variation of subdomains and directories and combinations XHTML, Mobile, WAP and Wireless.

Examples:

Yahoo!: http://wap.oa.yahoo.com
AOL: http://mobile.aol.com
MSN: http://mobile.msn.com
Google: http://google.com/xhtml
ESPN: http://proxy.espn.go.com/wireless/espn/
Weather Channel: http://xhtml.weather.com/xhtml/
BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile
ABC News: http://wap.go.com/abcnews/

Possible .MOBI Examples:

YAHOO.MOBI
AOL.MOBI
MSN.MOBI
GOOGLE.MOBI
EPSN.MOBI
WEATHER.MOBI
BBS.MOBI
ABC.MOBI
SUBDREAMER.MOBI
SITEPOINT.MOBI
MYSPACE.MOBI
NEWS.MOBI
DIRECTIONS.MOBI

So this is much easier navigation as far as the URL goes and the .MOBI content will also be guaranteed to be readable by your handheld.

Reach 1.3 Billion phones and easier then ever!

Many people did not like the idea of a device dependant TLD but mandatory standards for the content that can be displayed on a .MOBI site and support from the likes of Google, Microsoft, Vodafone, Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia and more has pushed .MOBI to realization. .MOBI basically has two requirements, 1. .MOBI resulting pages must all be XHTML MP, and 2. Frames cannot be used.

Overall the .MOBI domain name seems to serve more of a purpose then .biz, .info, .name, etc as .MOBI can solve a real problem and encourage mobile users and the growing industry as a whole. The most desirable function will likely be having a .MOBI as an extension of a .com or primary web URL. I'm not sure how many people will jump in on this in the infancy of the whole .MOBI rollout but I can't imagine a media with a bigger reach then the Internet already but reaching 4X as many people on the Internet via "handhelds" sounds great!! I'd be interested in a .MOBI website someday when I figure
out a .MOBI purpose/idea and an easy way of implementing it....... Will there be a .MOBI Content Management System available out there? More thoughts on this later.

If you do not meet the qualifications for trademark registrations, you can register for the 'Landrush Pre-Registration' phase. The Landrush period is September 26 - October 10. Pre-registering does not guarantee that the name will be purchased and the fees are usually refundable but you can pre-register now at many registrars such as GoDaddy for $29.99 a year, minimum 2 years.

Ready to register your .MOBI?

.MOBI launched in May 2006 in three phases:

Trademark Sunrise from June 12 through September 22, 2006 (6PM PT).
Landrush from September 26 - October 10, 2006 (6PM PT).
General Registrations begins on October 11, 2006 (6PM PT).