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Comment (The partnerships could aid IBM in expanding its consulting services to corporate clients interested in the growing number of people who belong to immersive online environments, also called the "3-D Internet."
Second Life is a 21st century version of Monopoly. It is a subscription-based, 3-D fantasy world devoted to capitalism -- that generates real money for successful players. More than 2.4 million people worldwide have Second Life characters, called avatars.
IBM's chief technologist, Irving Wladawsky-Berger, acknowledged that virtual-world business is in the experimental stage.
"We view these virtual worlds at a very early stage, both technically and culturally," said Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's chief technologist. "Commerce and collaboration are two key areas ripe for applying virtual worlds to real life, but we also see applications in education, health care and many other areas."
At one point Monday afternoon, 22,000 avatars were logged onto Second Life, socializing by instant messages or engaging in virtual pastimes such as flying, dancing, gambling or watching adult videos.
At the "Sears Virtual Home," avatars of IBM architects greeted guests with glasses of merlot and invitations to sit in recliners and watch flat-screen televisions in a fantasy home theater.
The idea is to help consumers realize how Sears' refrigerators, televisions, counter tops, garage doors, storage cabinets and other products look in a 3-D environment. Visitors can trade cabinets with counter tops to determine which combination they like most, and they may follow links to purchase items from the Sears' main website.
Eventually, avatars will be able to type in precise room dimensions and come up with design ideas and even blueprints for kitchens, garages or home theaters.
In the Circuit City headquarters on Second Life, avatars could get information on products sold in real stores and configure couches and flat-screen televisions to see what might look best in their real-world living room. A "digital adviser" gave tips about moving the couch back or forward depending on the size of the monitor.
