Google has just launched Lively, an online 3D chat environment that users can use to embed communications tools into their blogs or web sites. The release is currently only in beta.

Lively is a plug in for the IE or Firefox browser. Users that download it can run 3D like applications on their web sites. These can be used for chatting or for sharing information or media. Initially users select an avatar, once that has been done they can wander from room to room, enjoying what could be described as a Second Life like experience.

A number of applications, or rooms, are already live, however when IT Week tried to join one at random we found that log in took a long time, and once completed access was denied. Instead, we were greeted with a message saying that Lively was experiencing problems.

Other rooms worked fine, we could move in, and zoom around environments easily, and graphics rendered nicely. However, all were noticeably low on members and participants and the chat function would not load.

Announcing it in a blog, Niniane Wang, Engineering Manager at Google said, "The Lively team wants to help people experience another dimension of the web. We hope you will use the product to express yourself with and without words, and to do this in the places you already visit on the web."