SmallWorlds-Challenging the BIGGIES of Virtual 3D World
by Prashant Sharma
What’s that !
Virtual Life is nothing new at the moment.The possibilities have already been explored by sites like Secondlife,IMVU and many others. Secondlife has even taken this a step further by turning it from just a “Fun thing” to a full fleshed virtual world where real world entities,from individuals to Big Daddies of today’s industry are roaring to get their virtual analogues on Secondlife.
SmallWorlds , a yet another website trying its hands over creating another virtual 3D world online has arrived with its strong pack of cards.OutSmart ,a New Zealand based RIA(Rich Internet Application development) company has been the force behind this web service.Their team took nearly an year building this website and built the entire application using Flex as a primary technology,eventually releasing SmallWorlds in Public Beta on 2nd June.
They have overcome a number of limitations of earlier 3D World Biggies and has come up with some freaking features like integration of real time web services such as Youtube,Flickr,Last.fm and few others.
What it offers…
- A way to create your fully customizable virtual identity,room,inventory and much more..
- A place to have fun with your friends,requiring no software downloads.Only internet is the pre-requisite
- An easy-to-use environment with integrated services such as Youtube videos on virtual TV,Last.fm music on Audio player,Flickr pics on Wall posters etc
Why it can be THE NEXT BIG THING !
- Browser Based 3D World - So far,the websites that offer a similar service require a massive download and further installation.A person can’t login without the OS based application.SmallWorlds does it to the best.You require no setup download to use the service making it a pure web based service.
- Sophisticated Simplicity - It’s a Flex application that runs over a web browser with minor glitches.No website,so far has been able to make people experience such a system with sheer simplicity and seamless navigation
- Integrated Entertainment - It’s always fun to spend time on Youtube,Flickr,Last.fm and other such sites but it seems an all together different experience to watch Youtube videos on your virtual TV in your virtual room with your virtual friends.
Why it may prove to be a Web Struggler !
- SecondLife -SmallWorlds has the biggest competitor in 3D World market,SecondLife.Its already an established one in its own space and people might not want to migrate to another 3D World and create another virtual identity for themselves on the web.
