Titled Lively, Google's attempt to foray into the avatar world looks set to nose-dive into the league of Linden Labs' Second Life, which took the world by storm, even though many initially criticised it. Google hopes that people will openly embrace Lively with the same interest.
Like Second Life, Lively also requires a download and installation but then people can use Internet ExploDer Explorer or Firefox to enter the virtual world. Bad News for Mac and Linux fans though...... The program is currently an only Windows program.
With Lively, you can set up personalized online rooms, grassy meadows, desert islands. You can change the clothing or looks of your avatar. Below is a look at the program:
And of course you can chat (using a chat program which is somewhat Google Talk-like) , and give high-fives.
This software focusses a lot on integration of Google's multiple offerings. For one thing, you can stream content hosted elsewhere on the Internet, including photos or videos. Obviously, Google has meant this as a goddie for Youtube users. But here's my favourite goodie.... You can actually embed your Lively area into your blog or, using widgets Google has written, on Facebook Web pages now and MySpace pages later.
However, there's no money involved in Lively. It's designed to be easier to use, with a drag-and-drop interface. And it's not programmable, at least yet, so you can only select furniture, clothes, hairstyles, and such from the prefabricated catalog Google warehouse.
Money and programmability are both items the company is seriously considering, though, Wang said. But I'm sure Google will be working overtime to find some thing (perhaps virtual billboards/ pamphlets) to include Adsense into Lively.
The idea is to bring a better social dimension to online interaction, something more sophisticated for expressing oneself than an emoticon on an instant-messenger status line.
"We think there is a desire to socialize in this way," says Niniane Wang, Google's engineering manager for Lively, "We hope this product will help them do that."
I tried out the demo version and noticed a few quirks. For one, the controls are somewhat jittery and take some time to get used to. And the graphics seem kind of slow to load (atleast compared to Second Life).
As of now atleast, until the full version is released, Second Life is definitely the way to go simply because its more immersive and has already built up a reputation among netizens.
Anyways, go ahead give "Lively" a try........ and get yourself a Second Life!!
It's integrated with the Internet. It's not an alternate destination. Our intention is to add to your existing life -- Niniane Wang, Google's engineering manager for Lively
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