Google is bringing a whole .new domain to the web

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Google has announced it is launching the “.new” top-level domain (TLD) to the internet this week.

Businesses and organizations will now be able to register their own sites to generate a .new shortcut that will work with their own web apps.

Microsoft and Spotify have already jumped on the opportunity with Microsoft registering “word.new” to create a new Word document and Spotify registering “playlist.new” to allow its users to quickly make a new playlist on its streaming music app.

Google's .new domains are designed to improve users' workflow by allowing them to jump straight into the action as opposed to visiting a site, signing in and then finding the right menu or function to create a new document or start a new activity.

However, while the search giant's doc.new and sheet.new domains often open seamlessly because most users are already signed into Google, other services still require users to sign in before they can begin using their .new domains.

New shortcuts

Microsoft and Spotify are not the only companies to begin registering .new domains. eBay has sell.new, Open Table has reservation.new, Cisco has both webex.new and letsmeet.new, Bit.ly has link.new, Stripe has invoice.new and GitHub has repo.new.

We are still in the early days of .new domains though from the ones registered so far, it is clear that businesses are interested in giving users any easier way to begin using their services. However, their success will depend on how these new shortcuts resonate with consumers and if they actually end up using them.

According to Google, any company can register a .new domain and all of them are secured over HTPS connections in the same way that .app, .page and .dev domains are.

Trademark owners will get the first chance to register their trademarked .new domains through January 14, 2020. However, beginning on December 2, anyone can apply for a .new domain during the Limited Registration Period.

Via TechCrunch

Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.