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Linden Lab guns for service-based Second Life viewers
Service-based viewers for Second Life are a little different to the standard kind of viewer software that users might be used to. Standard viewers are downloaded to your PC, run on them and talk directly to the servers. Service-based viewers (also sometimes referred to as 'cloud-based') are either running on a remote server through a web interface, or running on a cloud (or other remote system) and sending data and graphics to a thin client that you run locally. The ill-fated Vollee client was one such example, and Comverse is another. Most Some of the (relatively few) extant viewers for mobile devices (iPhones, iPads, et al), and web-based Second Life viewers like AJAX Life are service-based viewers (as are a number in development), and Linden Lab seems bent on closing them down.
Second Life sparkles on the iPhone
Tokyo startup Genkii has released a new text communication app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, called Sparkle IM that allows messaging with Second Life (and opensim style) virtual environments. Essentially the application appears to be a lightweight viewer application not unlike SLeek (currently on hold, development-wise), AjaxLife, and similar, in that it essentially logs your avatar in, and gives you a non-graphical interface to communicate with others. Genkii are also working on a lightweight graphical 3D environment for the iPhone, also part of the Sparkle umbrella brand, called (rather simply) Sparkle 3D, that may in future be integrated with other virtual environments. Sparkle IM is priced variously, depending on where you are, but at about 4-5 dollars (for the special, introductory price) might be a little expensive compared to many of your existing apps. Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.
