Google gets Lively with 3D social networks

Windows only: Google Labs has just launched Lively, the latest in a long line of attempts to make 3D avatars an appealing part of social networking. Embedding a Lively ‘room’ in your own site allows people to chat and interact using their own avatar. Of course, concentrating on the visual aspects of social networking isn’t necessarily going to make them a more useful productivity tool, but if you find current systems lacking in design panache, Lively might be worth a spin. Lively is freeware for Windows XP and Vista only, requires a Google account. We found sign-in to be troublesome to say the least; if you’ve had a positive experience with Lively, share it in the comments. [Lively via Official Google Blog]