.mobi The mobile web leaps ahead without .mobi

[whitebark]

From microsoft:
http://www.zenzui.com/products.html
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/03/27/tech-mszenzui-20070327.html

Technology is moving faster than coding standards imposed on .mobi.

EDIT - This is not for a flame-war - the post is meant to highlight the need IMO for .mobi to reconsider the coding standards going ahead.

 

[Keith]

I am confused??? Microsoft is behind .mobi arnt they?

keithmt

 

[seanboy]

here we go again..

 

[-db-]

Microsoft on Tuesday said it was launching a new company, ZenZui Inc., to market and develop technology designed to help people use cellphones and other mobile devices.

The software lets people navigate functions and features in cellphones and other information devices more easily, Zenzui says.

ZenZui is a Microsoft company. I didn't know that. I've heard of "zen zui" in passing, with a friend who watches all the techTV shows, but I never heard any details.

So it's a web-browser? Off to read more... >>

 

[whitebark]

I am confused??? Microsoft is behind .mobi arnt they?

keithmt

Microsoft doesn't care about .mobi - they care about making money and if this new launch is their way to do it - then that's clearly what they are about to do. That is what the shareholders demand - new products=new sources of revenue. That's capitalism.

Maybe they will support mobi in other ways - who knows, but I'm sure for pointing out the obvious I will now be called the usual slurs...

 

[Jeff]

Mobile Browser ... from Microsoft?

Oh man ... leave it to (heavy weight) Microsoft to break up the little .MOBI Fest™ ...

... but I will offer that if the PRIMO "high profile" .MOBI domains don't get into the hands of the "ecosystem" developers in the very VERY near future!, then it will be extremely difficult for the new extension to catch up (arguably survive) the advances in technologies / usability / consumer adoption that the heavy weight .COM's (and others) will no doubt have integrated into their sites / portablilty for the up-and-coming - and it's coming - Mobile Web, IMHO. :gl: :talk:

As I've been saying, the .MOBI is seriously up against the clock, IMHO. :o
Truly. What about that browser default to the .MOBI?

Just my two humble sense, thanks for the links Roy!
-Jeff

 

[Traveler]

Maybe they will support mobi in other ways - who knows, but I'm sure for pointing out the obvious I will now be called the usual slurs...

I think it is comments like that one that might get the "slurs", almost like a self fulfilling prophecy. It reads as hostile, so may be met with hostility.

Just my humble opinion.

Cheers

 

[-db-]

Well, after reading more about it... it's not a go-anywhere do-anything web browser. It seems all the content is served up onto these 'tiles' and controlled by them. You pick your favorites, and those will be your basic set of sites/tiles (channels, whatever) to browse, choose from.

So, I'm not sure this really has any significance, good or bad, to DOT MOBI.

It seems like more a general application for anything surfing with mobile screens.

 

[Traveler]

As I've been saying, the .MOBI is seriously up against the clock, IMHO. :o
Truly. What about that browser default to the .MOBI?

Just my two humble sense, thanks for the links Roy!
-Jeff

I totally agree, but in my opinion this ZenZui isn't much of anything. It is a neat little idea, but seems a bit of a gimic. Also, I don't see how this hurts .mobi in any way, actually a mobi compliant website would fit nicely in one of those tiles, unlike a full blown website.

It is interesting to watch this mobile web evolve. To see the new ideas and technologies emerge. It is hard if not impossible to predict which ones will catch and witch ones will be discarded.

 

[whitebark]

I totally agree, but in my opinion this ZenZui isn't much of anything. It is a neat little idea, but seems a bit of a gimic. Also, I don't see how this hurts .mobi in any way, actually a mobi compliant website would fit nicely in one of those tiles, unlike a full blown website.

It is interesting to watch this mobile web evolve. To see the new ideas and technologies emerge. It is hard if not impossible to predict which ones will catch and witch ones will be discarded.

And that was my point - .mobi needs to drop the coding standards or they will be left behind. .mobi needs to act like every other extension because the technology is clearly not going to be reliant on the standards as they are now.

 

[whitebark]

I think it is comments like that one that might get the "slurs", almost like a self fulfilling prophecy. It reads as hostile, so may be met with hostility.

Just my humble opinion.

Cheers

See the response further down from your post as evidence of the usual high-brow response to anything remotely negative about .mobi. It always happens, so I thought I would beat them to the punch this time, but alas, the remarks come all the same.

As for the product in the OP - I'm guessing Microsoft will have to pour in millions of dollars to get it to take off. The incentives they seem to be offering are alluring but seem available only to those with the capital to invest in working with their new mobile idea. But in the end - it's Microsoft - it will be buggy, a security risk and probably over-priced. :D

 

[Jeff]

I totally agree, but in my opinion this ZenZui isn't much of anything. It is a neat little idea, but seems a bit of a gimic. Also, I don't see how this hurts .mobi in any way, actually a mobi compliant website would fit nicely in one of those tiles, unlike a full blown website.

Yes, good points Neo ... it sure is interesting, IMHO. :talk:

See you soon.
-Jeff

 

[Broker]

Dot mobi will survive and continue to grow stronger and stronger for 2 simple reasons, not everyone can afford an iphone and not everyone likes cingular :bingo: It will be a poormans way to surf the web via the cheaper mobile phones imho.

 

[jeremyp]

AGREED 100%

AGREED 100%

AGREED 100%

This is spot on!!!

And that was my point - .mobi needs to drop the coding standards or they will be left behind. .mobi needs to act like every other extension because the technology is clearly not going to be reliant on the standards as they are now.

 

[whitebark]

Thanks Jeremy - coming from you it means a lot.

 

[Traveler]

And that was my point - .mobi needs to drop the coding standards or they will be left behind. .mobi needs to act like every other extension because the technology is clearly not going to be reliant on the standards as they are now.

I think the coding standards are one of the main reasons for the extension and really the reason behind it.

As new technologies actually gain a foothold and come into widespread use then it would be a good thing for the coding standards to adapt to the them in my opinion.

We'll see how mtld crosses that bridge when we come to it.

 

[danmanmktng]

I don't really see how this negatively effects mobi.

Aren't all those sites going to have to be websites at the end of the day? And since they're on a mobile platform it would help if they were mobile websites. And you'd probably want the functionality associated with changing the default sites listed.. etc. etc.

 

[whitebark]

Dot mobi will survive and continue to grow stronger and stronger for 2 simple reasons, not everyone can afford an iphone and not everyone likes cingular :bingo: It will be a poormans way to surf the web via the cheaper mobile phones imho.

Very good point I never considered but it is very plausible. Not everyone can afford new technology - especially when it rolls over so fast. But as a developer you are stuck in-between - do you code for those on older mobile devices or look ahead. Much like coding for standard websites - at some point you have to stop worrying about those still using IE5.5!

 

[vcool]

I also agree. The codeing standared are a huge barrier for entry into .mobi. Now with the growing use of smartphones , and I forsee most of the cell phone will be smartphones in future, these standards may not be required. They should atleast start by relaxing the standards a bit.

 

[Brad|E]

It seems obvious that .mobi and its curator's position on coding standards cannot possibly be static. They are trying to provide the best, most convenient user experience for mobile browsers as that experience is predominantly constituted now--not 5 or 10 years from now. That said, any technology-related business venture that failed to speculate on,account and prepare for changes in technology 5-10 years from now would certainly be a bad business venture.