search-engines-web.com/ sends this from ZDNet
Google has become accredited to register and sell Web addresses under the governing body of domain names.The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit based in Los Angeles, has deemed Google a domain name registrar, according to the search company. However, it has no plans to sell Web addresses for now.
“Google became a domain name registrar to learn more about the Internet’s domain name system,” a company representative said Tuesday. “We believe this information can help us increase the quality of our search results.”
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Okay I may be biased in my worry
Yes, I admit to bias! The most intelligent, thoughtful, capable, artistic, sexy and strong human being I know or have heard/read of, is my wife, and she works at Tucows.com which is owned by a Domain Registrar. So bias admitted on the issue.
My worry is that right now domain names are CHEAP, I remember spending several hundred dollars to obtain and secure a domain name, and now for under 30 bucks a year you can find multiple sources that not only will register the name, but also provide IP forwarding (Lets you move servers for your website, FTP etc smoothly) for no additional cost. Now Google, the king of search and poor spelling drops in as 800lb gorilla. My fear is that they will so dominate the market that it will discourage competition and lead to increased prices.
Re:Okay I may be biased in my worry
Or maybe they’ll domainate the market and be in a position to create some more suitable suffix’s rather than the stupid new ones that seem to get accepted.
My guess is that you’ll just be given the chance to buy a domain related to the search you are doing at some point.