Genkii appear to have had Sparkle in the works for quite some time, but they must have spat out whatever drink they were drinking at the time when Apple announced their inter-app micro-commerce structure for iPhone 3.0, which is perfectly tailored to Second Life’s “pay 65 cents, increase penis length by 200%” mini economy.

Currently, Genkii has a $US5 IM app in the App Store that ties into your Second Life IM account. They hope to expand their actual standalone virtual world later this year, preserving the ability to tie into pre-existing worlds like Second Life and Playstation Home.

If there is anyone out there who can’t wait to get a mini avatar on their iPhone, buy it clothes and an apartment, and seek out other mini avatars to IM with, forgive my scepticism. But I think Sparkle has missed the boat by about a half decade. We’ll see what happens. [TechCrunch]

The virtual city, or “Virtual Decatur” as the fine elected officials of Decatur are calling it, would be a networking hub for the city as part of a greater overall effort to boost the economy.

Virtual Decatur is only in the planning stages, but designers have already listed a number of MMO-type qualities they’d like to see implemented. There would be custom avatars and chatting, like there is in any number of MMOs today, but in Virtual Decatur the residents, non-residents and government officials would bear certain marks, so that they’d be easily distinguishable from one another. Business owners would have the option of a virtual storefront if they donated to the city.

The virtual world would also boast achievements (GovBlago2213, You’ve unlocked a senate seat!). Back in the real world, these achievement points could be turned into coupons or discounts for participating businesses.

Other Virtual Decatur features could include:

• Opportunities to gather citizen input on policies, topics of interest, city services, and happenings
• A Virtual City Hall Tour with multimedia capabilities.
• Streaming video of public meetings, ideally with a chat room feature that allows viewers to comment.
• Access to visitors information (store hours, directions, weather, etc.)

We eagerly await the first griefer-induced lawsuit. [Decatur, Georgia via Game Politics]

And somehow I don’t think that Telstra’s move to launch a customer service centre in Second Life is going to help the situation. While offering online customer support is admirable, I have to ask the question: Does anybody actually use Second Life anymore?

Even if there is an army of Second Life users in Australia, what percentage of Telstra customers are actually going to use the online portal to get their customer service? The press release claims that their BigPond Second Life has 100,000 registered members, but I have a hard time believing that most of those would be regular visitors and not just one-time customers looking to see what all the fuss was about (what is all the fuss about? Anyone?)

Personally, this reeks of publicity stunt to me. I’d prefer to see the money invested into a more “real world” customer service effort, but I don’t really think that’s going to happen any time soon. If you are one of Telstra’s BigPond Second Life visitors, then it’s good news for you. For everyone else… what’s the point?

BigPond’s virtual kiosk an Australian-first

In an Australian first, Telstra BigPond has opened a dedicated kiosk that will provide real-time customer support in the virtual world, Second Life.

The innovative new service will be provided ‘in world’ by BigPond avatars who can answer customers’ service-related queries by text and voice.

BigPond Group Managing Director, Mr Justin Milne, said this initiative was driven by the popularity of this virtual world with BigPond customers.

“For more than a year BigPond has maintained a leading presence in Second Life with users enjoying the 16 fun and interactive islands we maintain,” Mr Milne said.

“Our launch of a dedicated virtual customer service team is an indication of the popularity of Second Life and provides us with another innovative way to continue to give our members award-winning customer service,” Mr Milne added.

The BigPond customer service kiosk is available during the busiest hours on Second Life, every Monday to Friday from 11 am to 10 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. During this time there will be a live BigPond representative ‘in world’ to provide sales and service assistance.

“We’re pioneering new ways to provide an exceptional level of sales and support to our customers through as many channels as possible,” Mr Milne said.

“As the internet continues to provide new and different ways to communicate, we are proud to be a leading innovator utilising these new and emerging applications,” he said.

Join us for a virtual launch party in the service kiosk kicking off at 5:00pm EST today. The first 50 BigPond customers to visit the kiosk will receive a music download voucher.

BigPond Second Life has around 100,000 registered members and BigPond continues to maintain the number one real world brand presence in Second Life.

BigPond has 16 islands in Second Life and five of these are exclusively residential islands. Some of the most popular destinations include Pondi Beach, the Billabong Bar and also popular replicas of Australian icons including a ski resort, the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

Use of the BigPond islands in Second Life is unmetered for most BigPond broadband members, which means it does not count towards their monthly data usage.

[Telstra]

TOKYO, April 22 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI)
announced today that it will expand the Closed Beta testing for
PLAYSTATION(R)Home in Summer 2008, inviting a further number of registrants
from the PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(R)) users. Following completion of the Expanded
Closed Beta test, the PLAYSTATION Home Open Beta service will commence in Fall
2008.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/SFM066LOGO)
“We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a
bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to
refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience
than what it is today,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. “Our overarching objective is to provide users
with new gaming experiences that are available only on PLAYSTATION Home.
Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms
our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation(R)
tradition.”
The PLAYSTATION Home Open Beta service that will become available in Fall
2008 will be built around providing new and fun community gaming experiences.
Details of the Closed Beta testing features, registration for the test and the
opening of the service will be announced as they become available.

The Apple patent at its core relates to improving the online shopping experience. While the company lauds online shopping in its filing, it also criticises the medium’s inability to offer consumers a truly interactive experience, calling it “sterile and isolating.” (Uh, isn’t the solitary, crowd-bypassing characteristic of online shopping part of its appeal?)

The Apple filing goes on to say that isolated, unhappy customers are more apt to be non-paying customers. However, if you provide them with “sunny” shopping experiences and virtual interactivity with Apple avatars, they might be more likely to come away with a positive impression of online shopping. Customers would also receive their own avatars, a la Second Life, and would be branded with letters to show their level of familiarity with Apple products. N is for New Users, or “newbies,” and E is for Experts, or the entire Apple-loving Gizmodo staff.

There are still a lot of unknowns regarding the filing. Add to that the fact that most Apple patents never see the light of day. As MacNN expertly points out, this could also be a reincarnated eWorld, Apple’s ill-fated online service launched—and then un-launched—in 2004.

If the Apple Store does go virtual, however, our question for Steve this afternoon is pretty straightforward: How will the Genius Bar respond to a bouncing penis-filled griefer attack? [MacNN]

The camera works by translating hand and body motions into an avatar’s movements in Second Life. Tip a bit forward and the avatar will walk, tip faster and the avatar will run, tip too fast and you’ll fall down (presumably). The included demo also shows the camera translating various movements into jumping, flying and landing “gracefully.”

Low-priced 3D cameras, such as the Zcam, will not only make playing Second Life more immersive than other peripherals out there , it’ll also completely rethink human-computer interactions, Kapor said.

Well, we’ll see about that. All I know is, if years from now I’m suddenly standing in a Los Angeles parking lot half naked and swinging away at things with my katana thanks to a particularly crazy bar fight in a virtual reality world – I’ll know who to blame. [New York Times]

3Dconnexion 3D Mice Coming To Second Life

Linden Lab’s support of the SpaceNavigator 3D Mouse brings new levels of direct control and immersion to the Second Life Grid platform

NEW YORK – April 3, 2008 – Today at the Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo, 3Dconnexion, a Logitech company, announced that its 3D mouse product line will be supported by the Second Life Grid , the platform behind the popular online 3D virtual world created by Linden Lab . 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice – including the award-winning SpaceNavigator – will be supported by Second Life beginning in mid-April, offering Second Life residents better control and coordination with 3D objects.

While traditional mice control motion on a two-dimensional plane, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice allow effortless movement and control within a 3D environment. On the Second Life Grid platform, this means that actions such as moving, flying and designing are more intuitive. While designing, users can simultaneously pan, zoom and rotate without stopping to select commands.

“Being able to move freely within and around the environment is a crucial component of the Second Life world experience,” said Joe Miller, vice president, platform and product development, Linden Lab. “3Dconnexion’s 3D mice have the capability to increase the immersion and improve the overall experience of our Residents and we’re always open to such developments.”

“3Dconnexion’s 3D mice make the Second Life world experience even richer because avatars can now move in a more intuitive and fluid manner – movement no longer needs to be predicated on keyboard commands,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “Beyond supporting a more immersive virtual experience, 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice bring professional 3D design capabilities into the hands of Second Life Residents who enjoy creating their surrounding world, as well as to groups using the Second Life Grid platform as a collaborative tool for education and business training.”

Advanced navigational capabilities offered by 3Dconnexion 3D mice include:

* Fluid avatar control: Residents can effortlessly control their avatars by gently lifting, pressing and turning the 3D mouse control cap.

* Easy access to camera views: With a twist of the control cap, residents can navigate the camera view and enjoy fluid and highly intuitive control while in flycam mode.

* Quick-switch between flycam mode and avatar motion: The pre-configured buttons on the 3D mice give residents a streamlined navigation experience with the ability to easily transfer between flycam mode and avatar motion – without stopping to select keyboard commands. In addition, the Second Life interface includes default navigation settings for 3Dconnexion 3D mice, allowing people to adjust the speed and settings according to their preferences.

* Control of 3D objects in build mode: While working in build mode, users can pan, zoom and rotate 3D objects to view designs from multiple angles. The 3D mice’s pre-configured buttons can be used to change the view to camera mode, providing advanced control of 3D objects and enabling a fluid design process.

3Dconnexion provides advanced and affordable 3D mice that are supported by more than 120 of today’s most popular 3D applications, including Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended and Acrobat 3D, Autodesk Inventor , AutoCAD , 3ds Max , and Maya , Blender, CATIA, Google Earth and SketchUp , Microsoft Virtual Earth , NX , Pro/ENGINEER , SolidWorks , and many other CAD, DCC, AEC, and GIS applications. For a complete list of applications supported by 3Dconnexion, visit www.3dconnexion.com/solutions/cad/all_sup_app.php.

Pricing and Availability

Beginning in mid-April, the Second Life Grid platform will support 3Dconnexion’s product line on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista , and Macintosh OS X 10.4.6. SpaceNavigator Personal Edition (MSRP $59), SpaceNavigator Standard Edition (MSRP $99), SpaceTraveler (MSRP $199), SpaceExplorer (MSRP $299), and SpacePilot (MSRP $399) are available from major online resellers including Amazon, Apple.com, Buy.com, CDW, Dell, and PC Mall, as well as directly at www.3Dconnexion.com.

About 3Dconnexion, a Logitech Company
3Dconnexion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI), is the leading provider of 3D mice for 3D design and visualization. 3Dconnexion devices support today’s most popular and powerful 3D applications by offering users a more intuitive and natural way to interact with computer-generated 3D content. 3Dconnexion’s award-winning 3D mice serve a wide variety of industries and are used by 3D designers, animators and artists worldwide. 3Dconnexion is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with European headquarters in Seefeld, Germany and offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.3Dconnexion.com.

When the user just thinks about moving his arm or leg the BCI system correlates the movements to a keyboard emulator, which then controls the action in Second Life. Since the system is limited to basic actions, there are plans to improve the BCI for more elaborate movements. Even though the researchers hope this will help psychically impaired people communicate and do business in Second Life, we still think the first life, real life, is more important. [Nikkei Net via Pink Tentacle]