mobile

Apple Jumping The Gun On .me Domain?

GoDaddy is rolling out a new top level domain (.me) which has been open to LandRush orders since 5/6/08. The LandRush orders will expire on 6/26/08 where any domain which has been requested by multiple parties will have to go through an auction period. The winning bid will retrieve the domain while the losing bidder will be eligible to receive a refund. Open .me registrations will take place on 7/17/08 on a first come first serve basis.

However, at WWDC Apple rolled out a new service called MobileMe which is a new service for iPhones, iPod touch, Macs and PCs. Think of it as a way to keep everything synced.

How fitting would it be for Apple to get a hold of the mobile.me domain? Apparently, pretty fitting as this screenshot will tell. Click the image for a larger view.

Mobile Me Taken Off The Auction Block

Let’s see what happens after the auction dust settles.

Email – Most Desired Service

A survey conducted by online usability and accessibility expert Webcredible has identified email as the most desired service for mobile phone users. When asked ‘Which service would you use on your mobile/cell phone if speed & quality weren’t an issue?’, 33% stated that email would be their number one priority. Social networking followed closely behind with 25% of the votes.

20% of those surveyed also highlighted a preference for using their phone to access local information about their surroundings and a remaining 13% said that they would use their phone to obtain travel and route planning information.

Trenton Moss, director, Webcredible commented, “The ease of use with regard to accessing email via Blackberry and PDA devices has certainly caused a ground swell in consumers who want the ability to email on the move through a basic mobile device. What I find interesting though, is the speed with which social networking is becoming a must have function on mobile.”

“Over the next six months I see a continued increase in the number of people demanding social networking functions through their mobile against those who consider email to be the most important. One of the driving factors in enabling this will be the usability of the site and the skill with which site developers transfer from PC format to mobile format. Facebook has already developed a very accessible and usable mobile version of their site, ensuring its members get their daily Facebook fix.”

Interestingly, just 9% said that they would like to be able to shop online.

Moss continues, “I think this is an unsurprising statistic. There are two main reasons why mobile users are skeptical about shopping via mobile. Firstly, usability is a massive function and one which is difficult to overcome if shoppers want to view a good quality image of what they are buying. Secondly, there is still great uncertainty among the public about data security of shopping through mobile phones.”

Webcredible surveyed 1010 mobile phone users and achieved the following results:-

* Social networks – 254 votes (25%)
* Travel information/planning – 135 votes (13%)
* Email – 335 votes (33%)
* Local information/whats around you – 199 votes (20%)
* Online shopping – 87 votes (9%)