This was unexpected. In development for two and a half years (just late enough to be a potential Mii ripoff), Google's new Lively 3D chatroom utility is basically Second Life Lite integrated with popular social networks like Myspace and Facebook. For now, it's all free, though it seems Google will roll out the ads when their metaverse is sufficiently populated.
Google is uniquely poised to validate this space for the mass market... this is not for geeks - this is for everyone.
...under the age of eighteen. There's nothing innovative here, it's just another Gaia or Habbo Hotel, albeit prettier. With its gargantuan resources, Google will no doubt spin this into a cash cow, exposing it to more users than any tiny developer could, but I'm not seeing a revolutionary new platform here.
So, is it OK to call Google the new Microsoft yet?