1. Domainr – domain search engine

The popular Domainr service comes as easy and clean as it gets. They call themselves a “domain name search engine” and solely focus on the domain search experience. Searching for a domain name is very intuitive and fast indeed. If you found a name you can choose from a list of registrars where you can register the respective domain.

Apart from the standard .COM, .NET & .ORG domains, Domainr’s strength is surely the ability to find domain hacks with exotic country code top-level domain extensions e.g. burri.to (.TO – Tonga), lifestrea.ms (.MS – Montserrat) or cli.gs (South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands).

Domainr makes the domain search process fun and is probably the easiest tool to find creative domain names in 2009.

2. Domaintyper – search & generate names

Domaintyper is another simple search tool for checking domain name availability and generating domain hacks but offers some nifty extras on top. One of them is a Web 2.0 Domain Name Generator that generates available names such as sixtor.com, snapsink.com, skafire.com, 6graph.com, threeserv.com or atomslot.com. These names can be registered through links to various registrars. The second highlight is the DomainTyper iPhone application which brings the search and recommendation feature to your iPhone so you can check domain names on the go.

Domaintyper is a well executed little project. Especially the domain name generator can be addictive.

3. Tweetname – register domains via Twitter
As the name Tweetname suggests, it is a service that offers domain name registration via Twitter. All you need is an account on their site and send a direct message with the name you want to the @tweetname Twitter account. You will get an instant reply whether the domain registration was successful or the name is already taken.

With Tweetname domain registration has never been more ubiquitous having hundreds of Twitter clients around. Whether you want to rely on Twitter for a domain registration is another question though.

4. DNZoom – online portfolio manager
A hosted domain management solution offers the all-in-one tool DNZoom. You can sign up for a free account and manage domains in a secure and automated way through an online interface even if they are registered with multiple domain registrars. Should you not use a domain, you have also the possibility to connect it to a parking company and earn some money. Domains can be organised in folders, categories and the domain detail view gives you additional data such as Alexa Stats, or whois information. An included domain suggestion tool where you can enter keywords and register domains complete the offering of DNZoom.

DNZoom seems to be more targeted at Domainers but its domain management functions are also suited for the general domain administrator.

5. Domain Punch – Windows software
Windows users find a domain portfolio software with Domain Punch Professional. Besides the portfolio management options, it also includes website monitoring options such as ping or an HTTP home page check and sends an email when the status of a domain changes. You can also save the login details to different domain registrars and login with a single click. Extensive filtering options, a domain name generator and availability checker are useful functions as well.

Domain Punch Professional is the most feature rich software for domain portfolio management.