Google Introduces a Cartoonlike Method for Talking in Chat Rooms - NYTimes.com

Google Introduces a Cartoonlike Method for Talking in Chat Rooms - NYTimes.com: "Google Introduces a Cartoonlike Method for Talking in Chat Rooms



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By BRAD STONE
Published: July 9, 2008

Google, known for its plain-Jane approach to Web design, has come up with something much wackier.
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Times Topics: Google Inc.

On Tuesday the company introduced Lively, an online tool that allows people to embody a cartoonish online avatar and have text-based conversations with friends and other Internet users in virtual chat rooms. The rooms can be added to any blog or Web site.

Google unveiled the new product in a post on its official blog — its characteristically understated way of introducing new features to the world. It can be reached at www.lively.com but is officially part of Google Labs, an area of the company’s site where it showcases projects that remain in the beta, or experimental, phase.

Lively and similar products from other companies have the potential to change the way people interact over the W"