Instant Messaging Goes Graphical
williampiv writes "For most of the millions of people around the world who regularly use instant messaging, the communications tool has largely been a text-only experience in which typed emoticons offer only minimal clues to someone's state of mind.
The recent launch of two services -- a brand new, fully three-dimensional chat-room product known as IMVU, and AOL Instant Messenger's new 3-D SuperBuddy icons -- is putting the spotlight on a major shift by the leading IM providers toward making graphical avatars a fundamental personalization feature."
A graphical, 3D chat environment? Oh, you mean Star Wars: Galaxies!
Is there a skin of someone who looks like me sitting at their computer in their underwear and sipping folgers? Perhaps with some 3D rendered clothes on the floor and a bowl of dried up ramen next to the keyboard?
But its more fun assigning your own avatars and icons to people:
Devil - PHB
Weasil - SCO
Dragon - mother in law
liqbase
A silent death? Are you sure, I thought they had text-to-speech for those things? (Granted, most text-to-speech engines scream like a little robot.) You'd think they'd at least put a really good wav scream in the uninstall. Bah!
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
"IMVU gives you the sense that you are in the presence of the person you are chatting with,"
Wow, that sucks. Now I'm not going to put any family members in my buddy list.
With recently discovered security holes in JPEG imaging and perhaps other graphics libraries, graphical chat doesn't necessarily sound like a step forward ...
Crystal90210: OMG!!!1 dont chat with CuteA0Lb0y!!!!1
my sister did and now she's pwned!!!!1
FLAgrrl: LOL!!!!1
should include more animation.
/goatse.cx command and your avatar ... er, won't go there.
Nothing funnier than having your friend make fun of you and you execute the
I am
A system where you could talk to anyone else in the world, in real-time, by simply entering the person's ID into a device. I'd definitely use that!
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
You're missing: This is in 3D - three dimensional space. Taste the word: threeeeedeeee.
Its the future you know.
Haha. Just set it to "apathetic/depressed" and leave it there, like everyone else on IRC.
No No NO! I do not want to see an avatar responding to someone's body language/expressions while they are off surfing porn in another window.
Actually, what I'd -really- like to see is a "shared" canvas, where you can both just doodle on. Sometimes a quick picture, even if it's just a few lines, says more than a thousand words.
Take life easy: one bit at a time.
To be or not to be, that is the question :-) :-P to suffer:-( :-(( of outrageous fortune :-(((
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind
The slings and arrows
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them? 8-) To die X-P, to sleep -_-,
No more... I can't handle mangling Shakespeare this badly.
TANSTAAFI: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free iPod.