Dot-mobi: The start of the mobile Internet era?

While mobile browsing has been available on cellphones for years, it hasn't really taken off in a big way.

As someone who chews on the top headlines of the day during the daily commute, I appreciate the convenience of staying connected in places where a wireless hotspot isn't in sight. But to many others I know, mobile surfing remains a far-fetched activity.

Without my copy of a newspaper or magazine in my bag, it's tough to beat the boredom of traveling on public transportation. But with my cellphone, the newspaper gets transported to my trusted device.

Although most newspaper sites such as IHT have a mobile edition, there are many others that don't. The Economist, a magazine I subscribe to, doesn't.

To view such sites, I use the Opera Mini mobile Web browser that parses and reformats the Web pages for my tiny screen. But scrolling through Web site menus remains a hassle.

So I was pleasantly pleased when I heard about the new dot-mobi domain names, which went on sale last month. The people behind the initiative hope to enrich the mobile Internet experience by providing tools to create Web sites that fit the cellphone screen.

Dot-mobi sites aren't likely to replace full-fledged webbies by virtue of limited screen estate, though they are expected to act as supplements--as seen in early dot-mobi sites like BMW and Kicker.

These pages are easier to navigate and load much faster than the ones I view on my cellphone every day. They are also less heavy on data, which means it's easy on my phone bills, too.

Dot-mobi might herald the beginning of a new mobile experience. It's now up to the content providers to jump on the bandwagon.