NV.mobi another 2 letter goes live!
March 28, 2009
This is the official mobile site of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.The site is scheduled for official launch on April Fools Day but you can visit it now!
They already have NVski.mobi which they promote via posters, videos, and on their homepage .
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See flash vibrating mobile phone centre of homepage: travelnevada.com/
Also a dedicated page all about .mobi Here
I look forward to ongoing promotion of their new amazing domain and site: nv.mobi
Hat’s off to Nevada Tourist Commission for being so forward thinking. They are putting many councils and tourist commissions in the shade, and to shame!
We’ll update this post when we see new promotions and marketing for the additional .mobi site
Hey Google! G.mobi is FREE …… if you’re quick!
March 27, 2009
Further to our article recently Here about dotmobi making available 1 and 2 character .mobi mobile domain names. We thought we would write about why (apparently) Google hasn’t applied for G.mobi
Maybe they have, and apologies to Google & mtld if they are currently negotiating, but even if they are, it would need to be a stand alone site imho. I also doubt they know, or are in process because of how they have dragged their heels over their current google.mobi site which they have had since 2006
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Now, short is sweet, particularly on mobile. It’s probably one of the reasons Google paid (allegedly) millions for G.cn (.cn is the country code for China). We will try and find the exact figure for you and report back.
Now, Google are also sponsors and backers of .mobi
For any rfp applicant to .mobi for a one or two character .mobi, there is no charge. You just apply in the first instance here
Then i believe there is a nominal $500 fee, that’s really to just sort the wheat from the chaff so that every man and his dog doesn’t apply without due diligence and so that they have a genuine case.
.mobi commercial
March 26, 2009
Please see the new Dot Mobi video below, it is going to be broadcast at 43 U.S airports throughout March 2009.
It fearures a few of the big names who have adopted .mobi as their mobile website of choice, with particular attention paid to weather.mobi
Enjoy, and feel free to embed on your blog or send a link to friends and business colleagues.
Sharefax Credit Union launches: Sharefax.mobi
March 26, 2009
Sharefax Credit Union
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Sharefax Credit Union, founded by the Ford Motor Company employees of Cincinnati in 1960, is a non-profit full-service financial institution. We are dedicated to fulfilling the individual needs of our members by offering the finest service and most technologically advanced products available. We place great pride in the solid foundation in which our cooperative has developed while continuing to appreciate the financial success our members achieve through our services. Sharefax serves over 22,000 members from five counties including; Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren as well as over 400 organizations throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. We are approximately $200 million in assets, making us one of the largest credit unions locally. All deposits are federally insured up to at least $250,000. Link
Their mobile site can be found here: sharefax.mobi
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sharefax.mobi is promoted at the top right of the pc site sharefax.org
1 and 2 character dot mobi’s go LIVE
March 24, 2009
dotMobi, the company behind .mobi—the only Internet address created specifically for locating content that works on all mobile phones—today announced the allocation of the first two-character mobile Internet domain to Fifth Third Bank: 53.mobi
Promotion on 53.com pc site: 53.com/external/mobile
In January of this year, dotMobi announced that it is making available .mobi domain names with one and two alphanumeric characters, such as q.mobi, k9.mobi, 13.mobi or ny.mobi. These short names are highly sought after by companies who want to extend their brand with brief, memorable Web addresses. Fifth Third Bank is among the very first innovative banking brands to do so, extending services available on their existing Web site, 53.com, to the mobile phone.
Fifth Third Bank launched its mobile banking service in select markets beginning in February and continues to roll out the service throughout its 12-state footprint during the month of March. With Fifth Third Mobile Banking, customers can use their mobile phones to view information such as account balances and pending & posted transactions, to transfer funds, and to find Fifth Third ATMs and branch locations. Those who enroll also can sign up to receive text alerts regarding balance levels, statement availability and more. With 53.mobi, Fifth Third Bank joins other leading financial institutions in providing their customers with mobile sites to handle their “on the go” banking needs.
Jaguar add to their .mobi fleet
March 24, 2009
Jaguar have had their JaguarXF.mobi for some time.
They have now grown their .mobi fleet considerably, adding:
See their promotion page More
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Jaguar is proud to translate our positive digital experiences with mobile marketing. This new mobile environment delivers an engaging and rich brand experience to our technologically advanced customer base. The WAP sites: JaguarXK.mobi, JaguarXF.mobi and JaguarXJ.mobi provide galleries of high quality images to promote each car’s design, innovation and performance, including high and low resolution versions of vehicle videos. The WAP sites allow visitors to input their ZIP code in order to locate their nearest dealer and book a test drive, or to order a brochure. Visitors can also download wallpapers to their handsets.
In order to visit the WAP sites on your mobile phone all you need to do is locate your web browser on your mobile phone and enter the desired URL (www.jaguarxk.mobi, www.jaguarxf.mobi or www.jaguarxj.mobi). Upon doing so, you will have access to all of the exciting features listed above. You can even navigate from one site to the other as well. Experience all of the Jaguar 2009 models on your phone today for information on the go.
Please be advised that normal data charges will apply when using your mobile phone to connect to the sites. Please check with your mobile phone service provider for further details.“
Google.mobi sandbox?
March 23, 2009
Is the Big G testing out google.mobi and looking to roll with it in the near future?
By visiting m.google.mobi , it certainly makes you think. What are they planning?
Up until now, they were, and are, using the domain as a redirect to their mobile site. Of course it’s the quickest and easiest way to direct navigate to their mobile site anyway. However much is always made of redirects.
Personally I’m ok with it, but there must be promotion. The recent allocation of 53.mobi to fifth third bank is an example. As a purist i would have liked an indexed mobi site and a separate site altogether.
However, as fifth third bank are already promoting their fifth third mobile site, that’s the main thing, so the awareness is there with the consumer, of their 53.mobi site, and .mobi in general.
Here’s a Link to the promotions page fifth third have set up, there are a number of videos and banners promoting the 53.mobi mobile site.
Okay, back onto Google!
Now, as previously mentioned, they hadn’t started developing out google.mobi and hadn’t promoted anywhere either, even though they are one of the original sponsors, so I have always thought strange why they wouldn’t adopt. I know Google.com is possibly the most famous url in world and that won’t change, but I don’t see harm in having a separate mobile site. In the same way they have a separate cctld site. It’s all in the branding and people are cautious about the mobile web. Sure, it’s all one web, but the perception with the consumer is, it isn’t! And they are sick of getting scammed from high surfing rates anddata plan charges via mobile. So they need reassurances, and a ‘new way’. If only to introduce them.
Okay here is the screenshot of m.google.mobi
Note, Google clearly telling us to ‘Visit google.mobi‘ at the top , and to ‘bookmark this page, for quick access’, at bottom.
If Google ever answered enquiries I would ask them about this.
Now again, this is odd that google use the m dot here. For me it’s like a testing bed, a sandbox, i think there is work going on behind the scenes, otherwise, why else would it be here?
It’s on the m. as noone will go looking there, they don’t want it found by the masses,……..yet.
Here this is pure conjecture on my part, but it is what i think, not hope.
They are in no rush it seems, and my opinion is Google doesn’t know it all. Actually away from .mobi for a minute they are making big mistakes in their cancellation of mobile ads at minute and are underestimating the mobile internet explosion that is working up it’s head of steam.
As for Yahoo, well I’d hate to be a shareholder, they still haven’t sorted their ‘adsense’ version, nasically they have lost billions in revenue on this alone. Allowing Google to move further ahead while they slip back.
Watch this space, we will surely be reporting back, when/if google.mobi goes live.
Incidentally the m.google.mobi site is indexed in google:
Third World Text Banking
March 16, 2009
A banking system using mobile phones could soon help millions of the world’s poorest people to tackle poverty.
Branchless banking allows people to transfer money via text messages without the need for banks.
A three-year project led by the UK will build on an earlier money transfer programme set up in Kenya, the government has said.
Two billion people in the developing world have no access to any form of financial services.
Speaking at a meeting of banking and mobile phone technology experts, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said millions could be lifted out of poverty if they had access to a banking system.
The Department for International Development predicts that with the use of mobile branchless banking one billion people could benefit in the next five years.
Remote
People who are too poor to use traditional banks, or who live too remotely, could use the service to save and transfer money between themselves as well as receiving money sent from family members in other countries.
In Kenya, where mobile phones outnumber banks by 25,000 to one, there are already five million subscribers to the M-Pesa money transfer service. It is now being expanded and used to pay salaries and bills.
Once a Sim card in the phone is registered, users can deposit money with an M-Pesa agent, send a text message to the person they wish to pay and this person can then collect the money from their local agent.
The service can be also used to pay for utility bills. A small number of shops and taxi companies also accept it as an alternative payment method.
The average transaction is around £27.
Andrew Bailey, chief cashier at the Bank of England, said that developing countries were more advanced than the UK in using mobile phones for payments because their technology had leapfrogged some of the developments that the UK banking system had been using.
Expanding system
Other countries around the world are beginning to use mobile phones to transfer money.
Vodafone, which developed M-Pesa, regarded it as a success and created a similar system for use in Afghanistan where travel was difficult and infrastructure damaged.
Yet, it has not followed the same path as the Kenyan model.
“It is a different, more corporate offering. We are seeing companies use it to pay their staff,” said Caroline Dewing, of Vodafone.
Tanzanians have also been able to pay using M-Pesa since early 2008. This system works in a similar way to the service in Kenya but the take-up has been slower, according to Vodafone.
Sending money via text message may soon be in use in the UK. A pilot project run by Vodafone and the money transfer company Western Union is set to allow customers to send money across country borders.
UK workers will be able to send money back to Kenya using the M-Pesa service.
“This will provide Kenyans with an opportunity to receive small values of cash from abroad in a fast, safe and affordable way,” said Michael Joseph, head of Safaricom, Vodafone’s Kenyan partner.
Dave Birch, chairman of the Digital Money Forum, believes consumers in the UK will one day use their mobile phones to pay for things using a range of different applications.
“If you look forward, I don’t think it is controversial to think people will be walking out of their home with their mobile phone and using it as their wallet,” he said.
Full BBC Article:world’s text bank plan
Could cash go out of fashion? BBC Video
Deals drive mobile money services
March 16, 2009
“In many African nations, more people have mobiles than bank accounts
A series of deals looks set to turn handsets into mobile wallets in many developing nations.
South African mobile operator MTN is launching a banking service for its customers in 21 nations that will let them transfer cash.
It comes after four other initiatives were announced to help handsets carry out many basic financial transactions.
One initiative is backed by Bill Gates and puts $12.5m (£8.6m) into a plan to create a mobile banking service.
Read more
New Samsung Phone has ‘.mobi button’
March 16, 2009
I have just been shown the samsung mobile phone ‘instinct’.
Now this is a beautiful full smartphone but with one interesting addition. It has a one touch button to select domain extension when surfing the net. There is the choice of .com, .mobi, .org, .edu etc.
See picture of phone screenshot:
This is a very interesting addition as it not only saves surfers time, but it will introduce some surfers to extensions they may not hve been aware of before like .edu & .mobi for example. This is sure to raise awareness, it will also help traffic across the board.
The .mobi button in this case has centre billing, and is directly above the ‘www.’ and is centre of vision. At this stage we are not sure if this is programmable.
I think we can look to other phone handset manufacturers to follow suit. Particularly .mobi sponsors, like Nokia
See the video below which is a superb introduction to the new samsung ‘instinct’
In particular watch from 3 minutes 50 seconds onwards for info on the button in particular.
