Jim Atwood made a WordPress blog and used a mobile plugin. That’s impressive, but not unique. After all, I do that here on mobiEnthusiast.mobi every day. The unique part is that Jim is an American living in Japan. As a mobile internet junkie, I want to learn all I can about what makes mobile tick in a country that is mostly mobile-only – especially since I don’t understand the language.
According to Jim, it is common in Japan to make two completely separate versions of a website. One is for desktop computers, like his standard blog, Ricochehost.com (computer link), and a completely separate, stand-alone mobile website, such as his mobile blog, JimAtwood.mobi.
In Jim’s words:
The Japanese like to make things simple and have two sites. This avoids the browser detection problems that everyone has all the time. With just one dedicated mobile site, things are much easier. In some cases, Japanese website only one version and that is mobile. In my opinion, mobile usage for the Internet is much more prevalent in Japan.
As a mobi enthusiast, this is music to my ears. It makes perfect sense to avoid trying to guess what new phone is going to come out next and garble my site. Granted, mTLD/dotMobi does a great job with Device Atlas, but if you make a site that complies with ready.mobi in the first place, it is much simpler and saves a lot of time and headaches. Dot com for computers, dot mobi for mobile web.
I met Jim through LinkedIn (mobile link). If you are interested in networking with me on LinkedIn as well, please let me know.
Here’s to the mobile web!
This post is featured in Carnival of the Mobilists Issue #185. Check it out for a great weekly roundup of mobile bloggers.
dotMobi, also known as mTLD, the registry which owns the .mobi domain names, announced that one character and two character mobi domain names are now available for registration. That means names like AA.mobi, 77.mobi, 21.mobi and others are now available.
“One and two character domains are the most valuable – and often most expensive – domains when available,” said Trey Harvin, CEO of dotMobi. He’s right. Here’s an example of the sales price of two character domain names in December 2008/January 2009: (prices USD, source: Namebio.com) Read more »
DUBLIN, Ireland and WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ — dotMobi, the company behind the .mobi Internet domain designed to help consumers find content that works on mobile phones, today announced that more than one million .mobi domains have been registered since its launch two years ago.
From October 2006, dotMobi has seen continued growth in the amount of registrants as companies pursue the increased visibility and targeted marketing the mobile Web offers. Mobile content consumption is steadily growing while the lack of consistency and navigation issues that previously hampered mass consumer adoption are lessening.
In June 2008, dotMobi issued joint research with AKQA, a global creative agency. dotMobi found that 90 percent of respondents were interested in learning about the mobile Web. Brands and companies far and wide have turned to dotMobi for information on building and marketing mobile Web sites for consumers looking to access content while on the go.
Sites such as Nokia.mobi, Mercedes-Benz.mobi, Zagat.mobi and Bank of America’s BofA.mobi have been successfully promoted as custom, intuitive experiences for their users. These brands represent a small handful of the thousands of businesses who are embracing the mobile Web with sites across dozens of categories, including travel, automotive, consumer packaged goods, publishing and financial services.
The entertainment industry is also moving onto the mobile Web. Country music star Tim McGraw engages his audience via http://McGraw2go.mobi, where fans can download music samples, watch videos and keep tabs on the latest tour while followers of the Wu-Tang Clan can get the latest information about the group at http://wumusicgroup.mobi. Recent hit film Eagle Eye featured a special promotional “tie-in” site with US electronics retail giant Circuit City at http://ee.mydas.mobi as does the upcoming blockbuster James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, with Sony Australia at http://quantumcode.mobi.
Along with the .mobi domain, dotMobi as a company has continued to grow. To aid the expansion of the mobile Web, the company has created a wealth of free tools for developers, available at the mobiForge.com mobile web developer forum, which now boasts more than 20,000 members. Free resources such as the ready.mobi report and award-winning DeviceAtlas device database show business owners what they need to do to make their site successful with their customers on virtually every Web-enabled cell phone on the planet.
“dotMobi has established relevance, order – and now success – in what two years ago was a muddled, confusing mobile Web world,” said Trey Harvin, CEO of dotMobi. “With the mobile Web gaining speed, and .mobi paving the way, we are excited to soon unveil the next generation of mobile Web tools and resources that will assist small-to-medium businesses in utilizing the mobile Web to reach a new audience: the mobile consumer.”
Amy Mischler, dotMobi’s Vice President of Brand and Identity Service, added, “To help continue the phenomenal growth of the mobile Web, dotMobi is making 200 highly desired ‘premium’ .mobi domain names available via a special online auction with Sedo (computer link) beginning Nov. 5 and running through Nov. 12, 2008. These .mobi names include actors.mobi, bands.mobi, blackjack.mobi, boys.mobi, cellphones.mobi, dvd.mobi, dvr.mobi, games.mobi, model.mobi, racing.mobi, stamps.mobi, vip.mobi and xxx.mobi.”
About dotMobi
dotMobi (the informal name of mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd.), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is leading the growth of Internet use from mobile phones with the .mobi domain name. Unique among domain name providers, dotMobi ensures that services and sites developed around .mobi are optimized for use by mobile devices, so that on-the-go consumers can have confidence that a Web site will work on their mobile phones when using a .mobi address.
dotMobi is backed by leading mobile operators, network & device manufacturers, and Internet content providers, including Ericsson, GSM Association, Hutchison 3, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, TIM, Visa and Vodafone.
For more information on dotMobi domains and registration information, visit http://dotmobi.mobi. Visit the dotMobi blog at http://blog.mobi.
Click to call links (below) are enabled for mobile phones only, not computers.
For more information, please contact:
Vance Hedderel
dotMobi
+1-703-485-5563
vhedderel@mtld.mobi
Danielle Siemon
Edelman for dotMobi (U.S.)
+1-650-762-2947
danielle.siemon@edelman.com
Sasha Manners
Edelman for dotMobi (Europe)
+44-(0)20-7344-1200
sasha.manners@edelman.com
.mobi Awareness Campaign Is Coming to Mobile Websites Near You
Mtld, the dotMobi Registry, awarded Why.mobi to the mobility.mobi forum under the leadership of Andres Kello, a leading dot mobi proponant and premium domain name portfolio owner. Why.mobi was created by forum members to demonstrate the benefits of using domain names ending in .mobi for mobile websites, as opposed to subdomains on .com sites. The name was awarded via the RFP proposal process. Dot mobi sites are designed to be smaller and load faster than other sites, and can be viewed on iPhones without zooming and scrolling. Their small size and low bandwidth requirements also makes them perfect for BlackBerry, Nokia and other mobile phones. Mobility members who participated in building the project include:
Congratulations on a site well done and we look forward to seeing it on .mobi websites everywhere!
BREAKING: mTLD issues proposal to ICANN to release single-character .mobi’s via RFP
Reported by Andres Kello of Mobility.mobi
This is huge and unprecedented, folks, and if it gets approved it will be very positive for the future of this extension.
Those of us in the MAG (Mobi Advisory Board) have been aware of this for a few weeks now and it was made official today.
mTLD has issued a formal proposal to ICANN today to release single-character .mobi’s via RFP.
Here are the key points:
- dotMobi now proposes to release and allocate all single character domains on the second level in an equitable manner.
- dotMobi has consulted with its Policy Advisory Board [PAB] on the scope and nature of this project. PAB members are in full support of the reservation release and allocation of single character domains in the manner defined below and view it as an opportunity to advance the .mobi TLD by facilitating the creation of compelling content. Members believe that this provides a particularly relevant and beneficial opportunity for the .mobi community in particular, where names with shorter keystrokes have huge appeal in the context of mobile devices.
- dotMobi also consulted with members of the .mobi Advisory Group [MAG]. Again, MAG members endorse this proposal and agree that such domains should be partnered with ‘best-in-class’ content, which the RFP process described further below is designed to ensure.
- dotMobi’s Board members, representatives from 14 different companies in the mobile and Internet space, strongly advocate the allocation of these names and point to the benefits to the community.
- dotMobi plans to launch the allocation process during Q3/Q4 of 2008.
- dotMobi will issue a Request for Proposals for single character domains on the second level. The RFP will articulate evaluation criteria designed to ensure that the award and registration results in the addition of high quality, innovative content to the dotMobi community. Evaluation criteria will take into account the applicant’s business and technical capabilities, experience in the mobile market, marketing expertise, business plan and the manner and purposes for which the proposed sites would be operated.
- Auctions will not form any part of this allocation process and dotMobi will not make a profit from this process.
- Once the applications have been evaluated by dotMobi’s internal review team, dotMobi will notify the winning applicants that subject to reaching agreement on a binding contract, they will be offered registration credentials for these domains. Contracts with the applicants will be designed to ensure that the applicants will fulfill their obligations to build and operate a site in accordance with the underlying proposal. dotMobi will transfer registration credentials shortly after contract execution.
- dotMobi may elect to allocate registration credentials in multiple RFP allocation rounds, depending on market demand and interest. dotMobi will also elect not to allocate registration credentials for some or all of the domains offered.
- Under the proposed allocation process, companies and individual players within the mobile content space will compete against each other to offer innovative services and products in connection with a domain name that will ultimately benefit the end user.
- Operation of any second level domains registered following the RFP process would be subject to ICANN stability and security policies.
- The proposal would modestly increase the number of unique domain names to be registered. All of the safeguards afforded to owners of intellectual property (eg UDRP, anti-cybersquatting laws, regulation etc) willapply to the introduction of such names. dotMobi does not believe that there are unique IP issues raised by the allocation and registration of single letter names at the second level.
- Some businesses / individuals may claim or have attempted to apply for trademarks in single letters or in conjunction with the .mobi TLD, especially in anticipation of a release by the Registry of these valuable domains. These entities may be interested in applying for a single character .mobi domain via the RFP process and will be entitled to do so along with any other third party. In addition, to the extent that the parties believe that registration by another party infringes their intellectual property, ICANN has provided ample tools to resolve these claims.
- dotMobi’s primary objective is to secure compelling content for end users and the RFP process will be designed to identify applicants that offer the best content solutions and proposals on the .mobi domain and adhere to the technical rules and recommendations that dotMobi endorses.
Benefits of the Proposed Service:
Quality content is critical at this stage in the lifecycle of the .mobi domain and the mobile Internet in general.The release of single character names would create a significant impact on mobile Internet awareness and adoption. Members of the dotMobi community are supportive of the release for this reason.At present, single character domains in the dotMobi Registry are sitting ‘idle’ and provide no benefit to the dotMobi community and/or mobile Internet users. Allocation of single character domains based on the RFP
process will make new content, new services and features available to mobile Internet users. This usage, together with the associated marketing and awareness campaigns, will help drive adoption of the .mobi domain as well as mobile Internet usage in general.
Because domains that require fewer keystrokes are of particular importance to a TLD like .mobi that is geared towards mobile users, the single character .mobi domains will attract significant interest from mobile content providers.
Since dotMobi’s launch, the Registry has made it clear on its web-site and via its Registrars that registrations must be three characters or longer in compliance with its contract with ICANN. This has inhibited the number of
written inquiries on this matter. However, consultations with members of the sponsored community point to the fact that as well as offering content to end users, single character domains will provide search benefits and
marketing / promotional opportunities for content providers.
Read the Full Proposal
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, thirteen premium dot mobi domain names found a new home today with one, company.mobi, still on the shelf after not meeting reserve price. The names that sold include:
computers.mobi $ 9,500.00
airlines.mobi $ 9,500.00
boats.mobi $ 6,000.00
mortgage.mobi $18,000.00
men.mobi $10,000.00
sales.mobi $10,500.00
forsale.mobi $ 5,000.00
drugs.mobi $17,500.00
films.mobi $10,000.00
show.mobi $ 5,000.00
escort.mobi $10,000.00
religion.mobi $ 3,000.00
records.mobi $ 8,500.00
Congratulations to buyers and sellers today. Mobi Enthusiast is pleased to know that several of these names are now in the hands of domain name portfolio holders known to develop domains as viable businesses, and we look forward to seeing what you build.
It’s premium dot mobi auction time again today, and here are the items up for bid: airlines.mobi, boats.mobi, company.mobi, computers.mobi, drugs.mobi, escort.mobi, forsale.mobi, films.mobi, men.mobi, mortgage.mobi, religion.mobi, records.mobi, ringtone.mobi, sales.mobi, show.mobi and strip.mobi.
According to the dotMobi Registry, mTLD, “dotMobi followers know the drill as regards content requirements attached to these premium names — sites should initially consist of a dotMobi compliant parking page with a live web site containing relevant content to follow within a six-month period.”
To bid on these names you will need to register, and you can view the auction live by downloading the software from the site at [warning non mobile link:] Moniker.com. The software only works with windows-based computers. To listen to the auction live, go to [warning non mobile link:] WebmasterRadio.fm.
Today’s announcement that the dotMobi registry mTLD purchased the publicly executed Mowser is, in the opinion of mobi Enthusiast, wonderful news. This means more .mobi sites will be able to include content that was previously unavailable due to the labor necessary to convert documents by hand into a form readable on a mobile phone. One example of how this technology is being used to help people is recalledtoys.mobi, which is updated frequently with warnings and recalls about unsafe toys and other products used in the home. Edit: Unfortunately, the site is not serving these warnings at the moment due to changes within Mowser, and we hope it will be fixed shortly. Congratulations to Russell Beattie and Mike Rowehl, the creaters of Mowser, and we are glad that we have conclusive evidence that the mobile internet is not only not dead, but ready to move full speed ahead.
Pinky Brand, according to his dot mobi site, oversees mtld‘s outreach to domain name professionals, content owners, major brands and intellectual property interests that wish to expand and protect their online presence via the mobile Internet. mobi Enthusiast would like to thank Pinky Brand for providing an excellent example of how a dot mobi website can be used to provide a mobile resume with a biography, contact information, and personal interests. He also provides a list of favorite mobile sites as well.
