Or rather subdomain name that behaves like Top Level Domain (TLD) with ability of DNS control at smartdots. But I can't see the ability to modify the CNAME record though.
Smartdots with its *.*.ic is the latest addition to the existing free domain services such as *.co.cc, *.co.nr and *.tk.
Though the best free domain names is still .co.cc, in my humble view. *.co.nr set the minimum 25 visit for every 90 days or your domain name will be deleted, plus the mandatory back link to their website. So to *.tk although it learned the hard way probably. In the past, every visit to it subdomain *.tk will be greeted with 3 nasty and mandatory popups.
On the contrary, co.cc provide the service as free as free beer. Even Dr. Mahathir's (former Prime Minister of Malaysia) blog is using it, do check his blog at http://cedet.co.cc.
Update on Nov 19, 2012: The usage of FREE domain name is strongly discouraged if you are serious in creating website. When they gone, they gone often without notice leaving your website inaccessible. Smartdots and CO.CC are already dead. Read here, here. For those who still interested in FREE domain, .CU.CC and dot.TK are the available option.
I stumbled upon smartdots website while trying to find alternative hosting and domain name to one of my favorite blogs.
Nice right?
Good for casual website and blog. I mean, especially if all you want is to have a php-based website that being hosted elsewhere and you don't mind to have an unconventional URL, other than those of *.com, *.net or *.org.
Here's another example of fancy domain name that I finally came up with.
And also that, if you aware and don't really mind that somehow major search engines especially Google may not put up a good priority (not SEO friendly) over your fancy free domain and website.
Last year Google blocked the whole .co.cc websites from the index before putting them back as many had complained against such move. Free domain is subject to be abused, people at Google said. It may be true, but may also because of the need to protect blogspot, Google very own blogging site and by itself is a proud brand.
It is equally too bad it may sound as that, nearly all search engines have their own free blogging site (geocities of yahoo, livejournal and bing, etc.) that need to be protected even by creating lame excused to justify the move.
But c'mon, nobody can really control the direction of the internet.
Low priority or not, such as in the case of .co.cc, even Google should not not felt that it has the absolute right to deprive and to exclude the 11 million websites by being indexed just because spammers using the service.
Before Google, there was a major search engine known as Altavista.
Altavista is extinct now. So wake up Google - you can become extinct too.
