3D conferencing hits the enterprise

But several companies are working to change that, offering business-friendly virtual meeting platforms that work right in a Web browser, no software download required, with prices starting at around $50 a month.

Immersive virtual meetings fall somewhere in between simple, voice-only conference calls and elaborate video-based telepresence conferences, says Marc Beattie, managing partner at Wainhouse Innovation, a market innovation firm that specializes on communication, conferencing and collaboration technologies.

For business use, this is a good thing. It means that visitors can't put virtual graffiti on company walls, or wear inappropriate clothing to events.

Avon's virtual meeting space in 3DXplorer is modeled afterwards its headquarters in New York City, and visitors can to tell the truth see the New York skyline when they look out of the virtual windows.

That was the case of Virtual World Team, a six-person company in Flossmoor, Ill., that provides administrative support for small businesses.

In addition to its ease of use, VenueGen as well differs from the other Web-based platforms in that it offers both in-world voice - that works with a headset - and a free call-in line for those who prefer to use the telephone instead.

Web.alive is the platform to beat, since it's backed by a large, then-known networking innovation firm and offering a broad range of business-friendly features.

Given Avaya's background in telecommunications, it's no wonder that Web.alive can be integrated with corporate telephone systems, with working conference phones in the virtual conference rooms allowing for both outbound and in-bound calls.

Freelance business

Korolov is a freelance business and research writer in Massachusetts. She can be reached at maria@tromblyinternational.com.