DEMOfall 08: Telnic shows how .tel domains can communicate without web sites

September 8, 2008 | Dean Takahashi | Comments |

Mere mortals who aren’t technically inclined do not need to know how Telnic’s new .tel service works. We can just think about the benefits. Basically, without using a web site, you can now list your information on the Internet so that people can contact you directly. It’s the mother of all telephone books.

Using a new kind of Internet domain name dubbed .tel, the service allows you to embed your contact information in an Internet address book known as a DNS server (domain name server). You can then direct people to your contact info with a simple moniker, such as justin.tel. Using your phone or a web browser, you can look up that person’s contact information, related web links, and keywords. In spite of the recent DNS server hacks, Justin Hayward of Telnic says it is secure.

You can contact the person but also learn where that person is, if the person wants you to know. This service is far from intuitive, but it comes from a deep understanding of how the Internet works and it may very well be one of the most innovative ideas for improving communications. Beyond contacts, you can use the .tel database to navigate through hotels and location-based services. You can, for instance, use .tel to find a hotel. Once you get there, you can see how close some of your friends are by looking at their .tel data.

Anyone who makes a living providing you with contacts is a competitor, including social networks such as Linkedin and Facebook as well as online phone books such as the Yellow Pages. Investors include angel Juan Villalonga and institutions including Banexi Ventures and Berggruen Holdings.

The .tel domain was approved by the Internet governing body ICANN in 2006. It doesn’t host web sites but directly links domain names with contact information stored in the Internet’s infrastructure. The company showed a plug-in for the BlackBerry which lets you import .tel data into a phone.

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About the Author, Dean Takahashi

Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • Lee Lewis
    A new search engine is out, very good for specific .tel searches! I would advice bookmarking it!

    http://www.tellpages.com
  • However, when people want to find other people, they use Google.

    If you don't want to pay a not unsubstantial annual recurring charge indefinitely, you can just use other free online address books, where you can be found via Google on a name search.

    For instance, you can get a free listing at WikiWorldBook.com which enables you to be easily found via Google, and messaged via the website. You can publish as much or as little of your contact information as you want.

    The website’s message gateway allows users to be contacted without having to reveal their email address. After checking any messages for spam, the message system forwards on the messages to the registered user’s email account, so they don’t have to return to the site. Uniquely, the person contacting them doesn’t have to be registered, thus enabling people to reconnect as easily as possible.
  • .tel has been a complete failure
  • edhardy622
    My girlfriend bought me a pair of Chestnut color UGG boots short for Christmas.
    http://www.uggboots365.co.uk