Second Life, the virtual world that’s becoming increasingly popular in education, will soon add proximity-based 3D voice capabilities, according to developer Linden Lab. But just what is “3D voice?” According to Linden Lab, it’s a technology that allows Second Life residents to speak to one another using spacial awareness algorithms that take distance and direction into account, modifying sounds to provide a more immersive experience. “Academic institutions could use the voice feature of Second Life to carry out lectures; corporations could use it for customer training; and friends can simply catch up with each other”, said Joe Miller, vice president of platform & technology development at Linden Lab. Some of the capabilities include: In a voice-enabled land, up to 100 users can speak on the same audio channel; group conference calls can occur between multiple users across geographical boundaries, private conversations can be initiated through instant messaging. Linden Lab said that a beta of the new technology will be available for 1,000 users beginning next week. A beta for all Second Life residents will open following that beta period. A full rollout is expected in the second quarter of 2007. It will support Mac OS X and Windows.

Second Life is a 3D online world with a rapidly growing population from more than 100 countries around the globe, in which the Residents themselves create and build the world which includes homes, vehicles, nightclubs, stores, landscapes, clothing, and games.