Google steps into the lively, virtual world of 3D

Now you can be anyone or anything you want to be - online. With www.lively.com, even Google is stepping into the world of 3D. And it may be the answer to your wildest dreams.

Download a simple plugin and voila, it is virtual reality at your fingertips. You can even join a room and choose your virtual character. But how's this different from other virtual worlds like Second Life?

Lively is accessed over your web browser, which means no large software downloads. And your personal room can be embedded into your own web page. It even works with Facebook and chat.

Virtual Worlds Expert, Rahul Dutta says, "I hate it. It required way too much bandwdth to run properly and because it's a new application and it crashes often. But I see what Google's doing. They are trying to bring Web 3D or virtual reality into the mainstream."

www.vivaty.com and www.imvu.com all let you experience virtual reality. They both require you to download players but claim to work seamslessly with social networks. And since they have beeen around longer than Lively, the bugs are fewer and far between.

Although all these applications are still being tested, what you see is a clear step from two dimensional to three dimensional characters changing the way you interact online.

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