Not unlike Open-Xchange’s recent offering, strategically-timed, presumably, to come out right around the highly-anticipated release of the newest version of the iPhone, web hosting provider Hostway announced a similarly well-timed offer on Wednesday, in light of Apple’s latest iPhone release on July 11, to offer customers a chance to “experience all the benefits of Microsoft Exchange on the most cutting-edge wireless device to date.”

Hostway says it will be holding three drawings for the new 16GB Apple iPhone 3G with winners to be announced on July 25, August 25 and September 25. Purchase is not necessary to be included in the draw and customers who order five or more hosted Exchange accounts between June 17 and September 17 will automatically be entered into the drawing, says the company.

On Thursday, web hosting provider Dotster, perhaps best known for its “Dotster Dots” spokesmodel search campaign in 2006, announced it will be offering a “Happy Hour” promotion on June 24, during which the company will give away 50 free domain names every hour from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PDT. Dotster says its will award a total of 400 visitors a coupon redeemable for one free .com, .net or .org domain name.

Also on Thursday, UK domain registrar 123-reg announced it is “kicking off the mid-summer sales” with a new 20 percent price slash on its shared hosting, e-commerce and InstantSite products.

And on Friday, web hosting provider Host Department reported that it is celebrating the Fourth of July with a “blast of discounts” for all its nolimit and reseller web hosting plans.

Customers that sign up from now until July 4, using the coupon code “FOURTH” will receive a 10 percent discount off the regular price, says the company. Customers using their credit cards are eligible for 20 percent discounts. And any sign up with a 12-month or more billing period comes with two free domains, including a “special Independence Day” .us extension, says Host Department.

On Wednesday, RegistryPro, the .pro registry operator, and a property of Hostway, said Wednesday that ICANN had voted unanimously to approve the expanding the “scope and availability” of the domain.

The change may raise some concerns for existing customers of the domain, which has up to this point been marketed based on its association with “professional integrity” and its very limited eligibility.

Previously, the domain’s use had been limited to accountants, engineers, lawyers and medical professionals, in just a few countries. Acquiring a domain had involved a lengthy manual vetting of credentials, including the submission of written documentation of credentials.

Perhaps realizing that the limitations on ownership limited its own ability to profit from operating the registry, RegistryPro says the qualification process has been greatly simplified as well.

The .pro domain is now available “to any professional or professional entity holding credentials from a certifying governmental authority anywhere in the world.” Though the company says the limitations that do still exist maintain “the exclusive nature of the TLD.”

To qualify for a pro domain now, the registrant must simply fill out a registration form with the type of certification they hold, the name of the organization that certified them and the license number.

RegistryPro has also lifted some restrictions that made it difficult to obtain a 2nd level domain, and led many registrants to operate for 3rd level domains, such as .med.pro. The new terms of service eliminate additional requirements for 2nd level domains.

Despite lifting most of the limitations on ownership and “removing the principal hurdles that have previously challenged the adoption of the TLD,” RegistryPro seems intent on maintaining the air of exclusivity previously associated with the domain, perhaps to appease existing customers who might feel the new regulations diminish the value of their existing .pro domains.

At Register.com, one of the relatively few registrars offering the extension, a .pro domain costs $350 per year, along with a $100 non-refundable registration fee.

“Our position all along has been we don’t want to become an unrestricted, general use TLD,” says RegistryPro general manager Catherine Sigmar, in a press release. “That’s why we’ve developed the new Terms of Use Agreement.”

Sigmar encourages existing .pro customers to contact their registrars with questions about how the changes might impact them.

The company plans to re-launch the domain July 14.

The Sunrise period for .ASIA, which starts today, is divided into three phases including the acceptance of applications for governmental reserved names, registered trademarks and service mark holders, and for companies in the region to use their name with the .ASIA domain. After the initial Sunrise Period, November 13, 2007 to January 15, 2008 will be devoted to organizations with registered names such as companies.

The final Landrush period is scheduled to begin in February 2008 and is available for anyone meeting the charter eligibility requirements. There will be a closed auction held for all competing applicants in the case of more than one valid application for domains during the Sunrise and Landrush periods. A first-come, first-served registration process for the .ASIA domain is set to begin in March 2008.

The .ASIA tld is dedicated to the Asia community, which is defined by ICANN as Asia, Australia and Pacific regions, and includes 73 countries. While anyone can register for .ASIA domains, the Charter Eligibility Declaration of the applied domain must represent a legal entity in the .ASIA community in order to qualify. A legal entity may be a person or a juristic entity, such as a corporation.

Throughout this week, all customers who purchase new dedicated servers will be entered into a drawing for a range of prizes, as well as a daily drawing for their choice of a $50 gift card for either iTunes or Best Buy.

The Super September Giveaway grand prize is a Dell XPS M1210 laptop, valued at more than $1,800. The first prize winner will be able to choose from a 160GB iPod and $100 iTunes gift card, or an Xbox 360 Elite gaming system. Second prize is a choice between an 80GB iPod and $50 iTunes gift card, or a Nintendo Wii gaming system and a $50 Best Buy gift card. The third-prize winner will be eligible for an iPod Nano and a $25 iTunes gift card.

Web hosting provider Hostway announced this week that Luis Boria, owner of Coraima Music Publishing, had won Hostway’s August drawing for an 8GB Apple iPhone. Hostway customers who signed up for a hosted Exchange account during August were automatically entered in the drawing for Apple’s wireless device.