GDC: Second Life coming to mobiles

Second Life, the virtual world that's managed to capture the imagination of the business community and mainstream media, will be coming to mobile phones later this year.

Linden Lab's well-known creation will be brought to that platform by Vollee, a company that offers 3G streaming services, and pre-registration for the free beta trial - due to start in May - is open now.

The world available through mobile devices will be the same as that via the PC platform, and users will be able to log-in on existing accounts and interact with others accessing the world via PC or mobile.

Vollee's CEO, Martin Dunsby, believes that the Second Life mobile service is the first of its kind: "This is a true 'before and after moment' in which mobile is living up to its potential in serving as an always on, connected platform."

Phone users will be required to download some software to their handsets to enable Second Life access, and while the beta trial is free, the service should be equivalent in data terms to mobile TV, so customers will pay for data according to their service plan.