Like .MOBI, is there a point?
Unlike the other .TEL application, which has a particular specialized use in phone number to DNS lookups, this one calls for conventional name-based registrations to be typed in by end users. In fact, its concept seems very similar to the .MOBI application, though with a slightly different (but overlapping) user base -- .MOBI is for services intended to be accessed by mobile devices (many of which are telephones), while .TEL is to be used for services to be accessed by telephones (many of which are mobile). It prompts the same criticism that I have made of .MOBI, that it is mistaken to use TLDs to designate a particular protocol or device type; rather, it makes more sense to express this via the bottom-level hostname, like WWW for a Web server, FTP for an FTP server, WAP for a WAP-enabled mobile site, etc. Furthermore, the trend is for Internet-capable telephones to become increasingly capable of accessing the same Internet sites and services that are reachable by more conventional computers; newer Internet phones often have color graphical displays, and the screen resolution is steadily increasing. There remain some unique differences between phones (especially mobile ones) and computers in the need for greater compactness, which affects the input and output capabilities; however, a well-designed Web site (avoiding platform, browser, and resolution-specific design and focusing on valid code and logical structure) can, even now, be accessible on a wide range of devices. The ghettoizing of phones and mobile devices to segregated namespaces is unnecessary and counterproductive. -- == Dan == Dan's Mail Format Site: http://mailformat.dan.info/ Dan's Web Tips: http://webtips.dan.info/ Dan's Domain Site: http://domains.dan.info/ |