What or who is Second Life's Avaline for?
by Tateru Nino 
May 26th 2009 at 1:00PM
Filed under: Betas, Business models, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds
We've been giving a lot of thought to Second Life's new voice service, Avaline (currently undergoing an early beta). Avaline will allow you to pay to reserve the ability for someone on an external phone to call a voice-user through their avatar, by dialing an access phone number and entering a code (much like your basic teleconferencing service, though with just the two of you, apparently). The phone number of the caller is presented before you choose to accept the call.
What, exactly, seems to be the use-case here? If the caller is a Second Life user themselves, it is probably more convenient (and cheaper) to fire up Second Life and establish a voice session directly with you, if you're online. Otherwise, we're a bit stumped. Do you tell people, "No, don't call my office. Dial my Second Life avatar instead, because it will be just like talking on the phone!" – Pretty much that would be because it is talking on the phone.
It seems hard to envision a niche that the service fits into. We're open to suggestions.
 |
Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop. |
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
SignpostMarv Martin said on 1:07PM 5-26-2009
Quite simple.
Voicemail.
Reply
Tateru Nino said on 1:27PM 5-26-2009
I thought voicemail was for voicemail :)
avidan.ackerson said on 6:39PM 5-26-2009
What about holding a meeting in SL? You have visualizing capabilities that go beyond your basic conference call, but then you have someone who can't get to a computer who wants to hear the discussion anyway and they can call in. Does this not work with group voice chat?
Reply
Krystalle Voecks said on 1:23PM 5-26-2009
I can see it being useful for those times when RL gets a hold of you and you don't find yourself near your computer. Traffic? Vacation? Late to a meeting? Need to relay info to friends in-world about a RL situation?
Just a thought.
Reply
Tateru Nino said on 1:28PM 5-26-2009
As long as your friend is paying for Avaline and has given you their call-number.
Krystalle Voecks said on 1:37PM 5-26-2009
Ah, then that's rather pointless if it's not just automatically connected to the world's voip servers. This is what Vivox is working on, so you could ostensibly call your guild if you're late to a raid, or want to touch base with them - and what I was originally considering. If both users have to have something special, -and- pay for it? I'm thinking this is more feasible in games like EVE, etc. instead.
Ari Blackthorne said on 1:51PM 5-26-2009
Wow factor.
To be the first to offer a phone number into a virtual world where you can phone in to a specific person (avatar)?
It seems to be about the technology, whether it's useful isn't really the question. Someone somewhere will find a use for it. Cell phones are not necessary, but they are convenient.
So I am a professor giving a lecture in-worl to my students scattaered across the planet in my virtual university classroom and my wfe needs to get a-hold of me. Or my boss, or my assistant or...whatever.
?
:)
It's about )Linden Lab) being first on the block to offer (apparently useful/needed/wanted) technology not known to be available anywhere else.
Well, that's my take on it.
I do remember last year's Linden lab survey to premium account holders all about this idea. I remember some of the questions asking the importance of this feature and what I thought (how strongly agree to strongly disagree) about it being free for premium account holders as a value-add and several other questions, including whether I'd be willing to pay for the service and how.
So this is something they've been working on and talking about (internally at least) for a couple years.
Okay - all just my own deductive reasoning. I could be so far off the mark I'll find myself floating away from the milke-way. :)
Reply
Jacek Antonelli said on 2:05PM 5-26-2009
It could be useful if you regularly take voice calls for SL business, but don't want to give out your RL phone number to people...
... and you also have an irrational fear of Skype, or something.
So, uh, yeah. I dunno either.
Reply
Tateru Nino said on 2:10PM 5-26-2009
Still, everyone calling you has to divulge their phone number.
Colin Brennan said on 2:54PM 5-26-2009
Maybe you sit on SL all day and never want to run any other applications because SL takes up all of your memory. Now people can call you.
Then again... if SL is taking up all of your memory, you shouldn't be playing SL with graphics that high and you probably shouldn't be on voice chat. XD
I guess it really is all about the wow factor. Unless you have to call someone in-game to be like, "Hey, I'm going to be late to X event because I'm stuck in traffic," or something like that.
Reply
rhys said on 3:26PM 5-26-2009
Sounds like basically a business line through Second Life. I am not sure how practical it really is. But if you are running an online business with a storefront in Second Life you can set up a "business line" without having to actually get a second phone line or cell phone. Perhaps large businesses with Second Life storefronts want to be able to have customers reach their in-game storefront directly. Not sure why I customer would want to speak with the in-game people as opposed to anyone else in the company.
Or it could be for people who live in their basement and don't get cell reception so their parents can call them when dinner is ready. :)
Reply
Chris said on 3:34PM 5-26-2009
If you could channel the caller to a conference voice session in-world, then I could see a use for allowing those unable (or unwilling) to run Second Life to attend in-world meetings via a phone.
Otherwise, meh.
Reply
Dethgar said on 8:10PM 5-26-2009
If a company or business person were to use Second Life as their main means of communication, they would probably topple in short order. I think you can file this type of service into "fluff", under the category of "What the fuck?!".
Reply
Shava said on 10:04PM 5-26-2009
"Hi, Honey! Oh, yes, all those charges to this Linden Lab company on the credit card statement? They're a California software company. I've been logging a lot of minutes calling their tech support lately...."
I have to confess, my first thought was how people might use this to run "phone escort" services and such for folks who can't be there in pixels for the real virtual thing, and how that could be used to launder currency or anonymize business that people don't want to be clearly associated with (as providers or clients) through the Linden.
But then, part of my work is in computer security, and people pay me to think oddly about such things.
Reply
catryalini said on 1:55AM 5-27-2009
you know what is really odd about this is my mom's name is Avaline. I've never seen an Avaline before. My mom is 80. hehehe she'll be thrilled an app was named after her.
Reply
Thud said on 11:08AM 5-27-2009
Maybe they think people get so into their role play that they refuse to stand up and walk over to the telephone when it rings?
Reply
chappaai@stargatesg1.com said on 10:51AM 5-28-2009
Well, this reminds me of the huge and widely advertised Vodafone SL service that was introduced almost two years ago.
Does anybody remember it or know what happened to it?
Reply
CharlesDe Beaumont said on 2:19PM 7-11-2009
Hey...why not outbound calls from secondlife into the real world? I know a guy that has realised this. You call from SL to any number world wide.
SL as UI for skype...cool stuff. And the rates are skype like.
Btw his technology allows not only SL->RL but also RL-> SL. A real immersive technology and maybe the next phone interface?
Oh yes, and conferencing could be made possible as well. So you could include SL participants AND RL participants without SL avatar (or offline) in conferences.
And that could be the real immersive killer app.
And it is not just a gadget. He already has a few hundred SL customers for his phone service.
Greets
CharlesDe Beaumont
Reply
Tateru Nino said on 3:09PM 7-11-2009
Isn't that, essentially, Skype that you've described in essence? Seems to me that that specification doesn't benefit from having a virtual environment attached to it.
Reply
CharlesDe Beaumont said on 1:03PM 7-29-2009
Hi tateru,
You are basically right. But have you ever tried to do a product presentation just using skype?...hmmm....vor a simple videconference skype can be actually very good. but the virtual reality gives the possibility of real "touch and feel" meeting atmosphere.
i saw a prototype that had been imported into SL and you could walk around it, sit on it, use it...not possible with skype. (I use skype regularly for voice and video calls / conferences
Regards
Charlesd