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  • Google

    Google's new .dev domain opens to all

    by 
    Christine Fisher
    Christine Fisher
    02.28.2019

    Google's .dev domain is open to anyone today, less than two weeks after Google announced the new domain ending. The company envisions .dev as a dedicated space for developers and technology -- a way to showcase tools, programming languages, blogs and more.

  • France wants more say over internet rules to protect its wine sales

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    06.23.2014

    It's no secret that many countries want greater control over the internet than they have under the current, US-centric model. However, France is demanding more influence for a very specific (if not entirely unexpected) reason: wine. The country isn't happy that the overseer for internet addresses, ICANN, is launching .vin and .wine top-level domains without letting other countries ask for usage restrictions. Government ministers are worried that this lets site owners violate international food naming agreements with impunity -- an American company might use champagne.wine to sell sparkling drinks that don't come from French soil, potentially hurting sales of the real deal.

  • West Ham United and Selfridges lead scramble for the first .london domains

    by 
    Matt Brian
    Matt Brian
    04.16.2014

    After it was decreed that London was next in line to get its own domain name, lots of UK brands and businesses have fallen over themselves to bid for their own piece of the city's virtual real estate. Today, Dot London confirmed some of the companies wanting to show their hometown love, as well as giving Londoners a firm date as to when they can begin registering their own domains. Premiership football club West Ham United and high-end department stores Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason are amongst 40 businesses signed up to roll out new .london websites in the coming weeks, with city dwellers able to follow suit from April 29th. It's still not known how much the new domain will cost regular folk, but Dot London says prices will be set by registrars -- hopefully that means they won't mirror the city's house prices.

  • London becomes the latest city to get its own top-level domain

    by 
    Matt Brian
    Matt Brian
    11.15.2013

    Not to be outdone by New York City, London is set to follow its transatlantic cousin in getting its very own domain name. ICANN, regulator of all things domain related, today gave the British capital the go-ahead to offer .london addresses to "businesses, organisations and individuals". While it gives Londoners the chance to show a bit of hometown love, the domain has already attracted the attention of "tens of thousands of businesses," which will each do their bit to help to boost London's online identity. Like the city's house prices, expect to pay a little extra to secure your own little piece of .london when registration opens in Spring 2014.

  • ICANN kills Google's dotless domain search dreams

    by 
    Mariella Moon
    Mariella Moon
    08.17.2013

    We'd like to imagine that somewhere in Mountain View, a group of high-level tech execs are giving ICANN the stink eye. After all, the organization has recently passed a resolution that prohibits dotless domains, effectively squashing Google's dreams to own and operate http://search. This development follows a study ICANN published a few days ago, detailing how hard it'll be to mitigate security and stability risks that could come with the unusual domains. Google had big plans to turn http://search into a service where users could choose among a number of search websites that registered to be a part of it. Now that the one-word wonder is no longer an option for Page and Co., the company has to make do with .search (with a dot), assuming its bidding spree for a pile of gTLDs pays off.

  • First batch of new generic top-level domains born, Amazon looking unlikely to snag .amazon

    by 
    Jamie Rigg
    Jamie Rigg
    07.18.2013

    After spending over a year thumbing through applications, ICANN has inked agreements for establishing the first new generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Those that made the cut this round were the Arabic word for web or network (.شبكة), game in Chinese (.游戏), and the Russian for online (.онлайн), as well as website (.сайт) -- as ICANN notes, these gTLDs will be the first to use non-Latin characters. Also coming out of the ICANN47 meeting for internet overlords is a bit of bad news for Amazon. A committee recommended that the retailer should not be given control of the .amazon domain, likely due to confusion the suffix could create with the Amazon region in South America. ICANN may see fit to go against the recommendation, but if Amazon's history with objectionable applications is anything to go by, it's looking like yet another $185,000 down the drain.

  • ICANN lists first custom TLDs up for consideration, starts with Chinese word for 'Catholic'

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    12.20.2012

    The bidding process for custom top-level domains led to many candidates, but there can only be one that ICANN considers first. Which one gets the honor? Thanks to a semi-random draw, it's .天主教, or "Catholic" in Chinese -- a domain registered by the Catholic church's Pontifical Council for Social Communication. The position could give the church one of the first active custom TLDs in 2013, ahead of Amazon, VeriSign and others that were among the frontrunners in a 1,930-domain pack. There's no guarantees that the church or any of the other early bidders will be accepted when there's substantial dispute over who, if anyone, should own many of the given domains. Knowing who goes through ICANN's scrutiny, due early next year, may still prepare us for a changed internet landscape.

  • Department of Commerce renews VeriSign control of .com registry, demands price freeze

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    11.30.2012

    In many ways, VeriSign has been one of the internet's true arbiters. It's ICANN's official registry operator for .com domains, which lets it determine how (and how much) we pay to get a particularly coveted address. As we're learning, the US Department of Commerce is only comfortable with that state of affairs to a certain point. It just approved a deal renewal that will let VeriSign watch over .com between December 1st this year and November 30th, 2018, but it's requiring that the company drop a previous right to hike registration prices as many as four times, at up to 7 percent, over the length of the term. The current $7.85 price will last unless VeriSign either faces exceptional circumstances or can prove that the market is healthy enough to lift the ceiling. We're sure the business isn't happy when the DOC move dictates how much money it can make, but compulsive domain hunters will enjoy the extra dollars in their pockets.

  • Early objections over generic TLDs throw the .book at Amazon, Google

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    11.24.2012

    Technology companies went wild bidding on generic top-level domains (gTLDs) once the opportunity presented itself. That seemingly impulsive behavior hasn't sat well with the Government Advisory Committee, which just posted a list of its member countries' initial 250 objections over the internet gold rush. While the list is broad, Amazon and Google (under a Charleston Road Registry proxy) have received a disproportionate amount of the flak: Australia, for example, isn't happy that far-reaching terms like .book and .search might be owned by individual companies. The resistance automatically puts the perceived offenders' backs to the wall -- they have to either make a good case as to why they need a disputed gTLD or risk losing both the domain as well as 20 percent of the refunded claiming fee. ICANN remains optimistic that the first gTLDs will still go into use by May, but it's entirely possible that the final list will be much thinner than what we saw in June.

  • Nominet proposes more secure .UK domain for British websites

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    10.01.2012

    Nominet is considering a .uk internet domain for users who can't bear to type the extra three characters necessary for .co.uk. The body is lobbying for the new domain in time for ICANN's next TLD expansion, which includes new entries like .shop, .play and .home. Nominet has promised tough entry requirements for the system, with only businesses (or persons) that can prove a UK presence being eligible to register. It'll also be around four times more expensive, with the extra charges going to pay for daily malware scanning to prevent domain spoofing and a donation to a trust to improve web security. If you're an interested party, you can offer your tuppence-worth at the organization's official public consultation which runs until January 7th 2013.

  • Microsoft and Sony are trying to lock down .Xbox and .PlayStation, respectively

    by 
    Ben Gilbert
    Ben Gilbert
    06.14.2012

    On the Future Internet™, silly abbreviations like ".com" and ".edu" will cease to exist. Instead. megacorporations will take over with top-level domain names like ".xbox," .sony," or ".nabiscosnackwellsdietdevilsfoodcookies." The transition began this week, as The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) showed in its list of corporations applying for ultra-specific top-level domains.The list has both the aforementioned Microsoft and Sony applications for .xbox and .playstation (respectively), as well as ones for ".live," ".bing," ".skype," and ".windows," while Sony applied for ".sony," and ".xperia." Microsoft put up $2.035 million for its 11 name bids, and Sony put up $555K, according to New Statesman.Bidding for personalized (er ... company-ized) URL abbreviations costs a minimum of $185K (just for "evaluation"), so those diabolical plans to squat on ".sexytimes" might be more expensive than you planned. Additionally, when multiple bidders are involved, ICANN assesses the applicants based on a variety of criteria, and applicants can object against others' claims to a particular top-level domain. Regardless, it'll be another 9 to 20 months before ICANN's evaluation process completes, so it'll be a little bit before we find out how this all plays out.[Image credit: Pavel Ignatov]

  • ICANN shows the full generic TLD application list, Google's bidding splurge

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    06.13.2012

    ICANN told us that June 13th was the golden day that we'd get to see all of the initial applications for generic top-level domains (gTLDs), and the full list has surfaced on cue. The early roster shows a lot of competition for certain domains -- we're seeing a baker's dozen in companies trying for .app alone. Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and other companies are understandably trying to protect their brand names, but we're just now seeing the full extent of Google's gTLD madness: we're counting 101 instances in which the search firm has tentatively pulled the $185,000 trigger. ICANN still has to settle on which bidders get the domains they want, though, and there's no certainty that Google will fulfill its dreams. When even the cherished .lol domain has a challenger, you know the competition is getting fierce.

  • Microsoft buys every 'Smart Glass' domain it can think of, E3 goers nod approvingly

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    06.03.2012

    A wise thing to do right before you launch a new product? Vacation, if we're being honest. But if we're being forced to pick another, we'd say registering domain names germane to said product ain't a half bad idea, either. Microsoft has seemingly snapped up a healthy few "Smart Glass"-related domains, giving us more reason to believe that the whispers we've been hearing about a wireless streaming doodad have some merit. With E3 festivities kicking off this evening, we're guessing it's just a matter of time before the list (shown after the break) stops forwarding to Bing and starts forwarding to... well, awesomeness. Refresh fingers ready?

  • Google springs for .lol, .youtube domains, we wonder if it's going TLD .crazy

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    05.31.2012

    Google just can't wait until ICANN reveals custom domain name bids in mid-June to say what it's trying to buy -- and it's clear that Mountain View went on a shopping spree. Some of the top-level domains in the land grab are ones you'd expect safeguarding Google's prized possessions, such as .google, .youtube and .docs. Others make us fear for the future of Internet memes. Google claims that it's bidding for TLDs such as .lol to explore their "interesting and creative potential,' but we have a hunch it's just taking the addition of LOL to the dictionary a little too seriously. The company does assuage our fears with a promise to prevent TLD abuse. If we ever see omgwtf.lol become a reality, though, we'll know Google has gone off the .deepend.

  • ICANN stops taking custom domain names at 7PM ET, details the TLD explosion June 13th

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    05.30.2012

    ICANN anticipated that we'd see the first fruits of its open season on top-level domains (TLDs) roughly a year after the hunt began; sure enough, it's winding down applications tonight. If you have the $185,000 plus $25,000 per year to make a domain your own, you've got until midnight GMT (7PM ET) to get that custom spin on the web. Don't think that you'll get the rubber stamp right away, though. ICANN plans to detail the requests on June 13th and consider any objections over similarity or multiple bids for the same name. If all goes smoothly, the first generic TLDs will be active within nine months, while those who face a fight could be waiting roughly one to two years. We're just hoping someone had the courtesy to pick up .gadget for us -- not that ICANN's worried about a gap in registrations after taking $352 million in fees and over 2,000 applications so far.

  • Belarus limits use of 'foreign' websites, while Kuala Lumpur mandates WiFi in eateries

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    01.02.2012

    Talk about polar opposites. In an update posted to the Library of Congress, we're told that the Republic of Belarus will begin fining citizens that host domestic sites on "foreign" domains. Crazy? Definitely, but no less true. Starting later this week, any Belarusian not registered as an entrepreneur may use "only domestic internet domains for providing online services, conducting sales, or exchanging email messages." According to the interpretation, it "appears that business requests from Belarus cannot be served over the internet if the service provider is using online services located outside of the country," and police (as well as the secret police) are authorized to "initiate, investigate, and prosecute such violations." Wilder still, owners of internet cafes could have their entire business shut down if users are found to be accessing external sites on those networks, and for those curious, the law "may" extend to browsing within one's private home. In a land a bit closer to the equator, it seems as if officials have their heads in a far more sensible place. Kuala Lumpur -- already home to one of the world's most lust-worthy airports and some of the most accessible / affordable mobile data plans -- will soon mandate that all new restaurants provide WiFi to their customers. And by "WiFi," we mean "access to the entire internet." According to the New Strait Times, the rule will be enforced as early as April, applying to eatery owners operating on premises larger than 120 square meters. We're told that existing owners will be forced to comply when renewing their license, and while the waves won't have to be given away for free, they'll be encouraged to charge no more than a "reasonable fee." Furthermore, the government is considering dipping into its own pockets in order to extend gratis WiFi to public facilities in the city, likely as a follow-up plan to the expiring WirelessKL contract. As if going to wander through Batu Caves and the colorful streets shown above weren't enough reason to visit Malaysia...

  • ICANN's .XXX domain names have arrived, Frankie says relax

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    09.09.2011

    Let's try to be sensible about this. When one or more persons love each other very much -- no, erm, let's start again. The controversial move to segregate websites of an adult nature to the .XXX domain has begun. The process is staggered across three months to ensure nothing untoward can happen. On September 7th, the 50-day "Sunrise A & B" programs began, Sunrise A is where adult website and trademark holders can claim their domains as the legitimate owner; At the same time, Sunrise B lets non-adult websites like The Weather Channel claim their domain names to prevent it being used for a very different sort of forecast. There will then be an 18-day Land Rush period, where non-trademarked sites can register and conflicts are resolved with auctions. By December 6th, registration opens to everyone -- just in time for XXXMas.

  • PSA: Apple using slower SSDs in some MacBook Air models (video)

    by 
    Zach Honig
    Zach Honig
    07.25.2011

    When you head to Apple's online store to configure your MacBook Air, you'll find options to increase processor speed or SSD capacity -- depending on the model you select, of course. There's no mention of flash drive speed, however, though it's now clear that not all SSDs are created equal at Apple -- not only when it comes to capacity, but also performance. Jonathan over at TLD discovered a fairly significant discrepancy when benchmarking both MacBook Air models over the weekend. The 128GB Samsung SSD in his 11-inch Air was able to achieve 246 MB/s write and 264 MB/s read speeds. When he switched to the 13-inch model, however, speeds dropped to 156 MB/s and 208 MB/s, respectively, using that notebook's 128GB Toshiba SSD. We compared speeds on two generations of 13-inch models, and confirmed Jonathan's findings. During our tests, the 256GB Samsung drive in our older model achieved 214 MB/s write and 251 MB/s read speeds, while the 128GB Toshiba drive in the new MacBook Air scored 184 MB/s and 203 MB/s during write and read tests, respectively. Overall, you're not likely to notice a significant difference during normal usage, though it's certainly an interesting find, nonetheless. [Thanks, Larry]

  • ICANN passes domain name expansion, ele.vation and wolf.pack ready to assault your browser

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    06.19.2011

    It may be Sunday where you are, but it's bright-and-early on Monday in Singapore. That's where a monumental vote is about to go down, with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (or ICANN, for short) set to vote on expansion plans for domain names. If you'll recall, the organization approved seven additional domains in 2004, with another round from 2004 leading to a separate seven joining the herd. It's expected to approve something far more substantial this week, however, with a new system enabling just about anything to trail the crux of the domain. In other words, .com may soon be replaced by .Canon (for cameras), .eco (for green sites) or even .programming (for, you know, programming sites). As you can likely imagine, the options here are pretty well endless, but it'll cost a wee bit more than $6.95 per year to register one. The application fee alone is clocked in at $185,000, and winners will have to pony up $25,000 annually after that. It's entirely likely that a new wave of legal spats will crop up with regard to trademarks -- we're guessing lawyers in Mountain View won't be too fond of Google.phones falling into non-corporate hands -- but hey, that's half the fun from the sidelines. We'll be keeping an eye out for a final decision, and we'll be sure to let you know if ICANN fesses up to what it'll be doing with those stratospheric new fees. Update: It sailed through, as expected. The first of the new wave are expected to go online within a year, and yeah, we're curious as well to find out which one becomes first out of the gate.

  • ICANN has .xxx domain names? Yes!

    by 
    Vlad Savov
    Vlad Savov
    03.18.2011

    The controversial step to approve .xxx domain names has today been taken by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, paving the way for a whole slew of new addresses suffixed by the famous triplicate x. Funnily enough, before the decision was made today, opposition to it was proffered by both conservative groups opposed to pornography and adult entertainment companies fearing they'd be more easily compartmentalized and potentially blocked by overzealous governments. Moreover, every popular adult website at present will pretty much be forced to buy its .xxx version, which, for an industry famous for its frugality, will be an understandably tough pill to swallow. We are surprised not to see the people of Amsterdam consulted, however -- their city's emblem features three Xs too, shouldn't they have a say in this? A further meeting is scheduled by ICANN for June 20th to discuss opening up all possible domain name suffixes to registration, pending the validation of a set of guidelines for approval. That's looking quite likely to be passed too, as the AFP sagely notes that there's a celebratory party scheduled for two days after the event. URLs are about to get a lot more varied, it seems; they're certainly going to feature a lot more of the (English) alphabet's 24th letter, whatever the case.