Google to Shut Down Lively Virtual World

Google will shut down Lively, its browser-based virtual world environment, by the end of December.

Launched in July, Lively is Google's alternative to Second Life and other virtual world environments.

Google said it launched Lively in Google Labs because it wanted users to be able to interact with their friends and express themselves online in new ways. 

Google said on its blog that after four and a half months on the Lively project, its resources would be better spent focusing on its core search, advertising and applications businesses.

"We've also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off," the posting added.

Google was not immediately available for comment. Google employees working on the project will move to other teams, according to the blog.

Lively users have been asked by Google to capture their work by taking videos and screenshots of their rooms. Rooms and avatars on the site will not be available after Dec. 31.

Source :PC World

New Handsets Needed for Microsoft's Mobile IE6

Microsoft faces a tough sell with its latest mobile browser, Internet Explorer 6, since consumers will need to buy more powerful handsets to run it.

Microsoft, which announced plans earlier this week to launch IE6 with market leader China Mobile, has made no secret of the more stringent requirements. It has indicated the software won't be available to download. 

The browser requires 500MHz chip processing speeds, according to Lena Goh, director of marketing in Microsoft's mobile communications business for Asia.

Continue The Article : PC World : Microsoft's Tough Sell

Windows Vista vs. XP Gaming

What exactly will you be getting by upgrading to Microsoft's new OS? More specifically, will the leap into DirectX 10 be worth it?

 With every fresh Windows OS launch, PC gamers experience upgrade anxiety. And it's understandable: Windows XP is arguably one of the best Windows OS to date, and users have familiarized themselves with all the little tweaks to maximize performance (getting rid of the right background processes, knowing what Windows Registry files to trash). But with DirectX 10 gaming on the horizon, it's no longer a question of "if" but "when."

Continue The Article : IGN