Simplify your laptop buying
- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: March 07, 2006
- Total Downloads: 20,635
- Downloads last week: 11
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- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 12 votes
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CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
For years, designers and programmers have dreamed of an Internet in three dimensions that would replace today's flat Web. The 3B browser takes a step in that direction, although it is more of a beautiful toy than a truly useful application. It creates 3D galleries from your favorite Web sites, essentially turning Web pages into the walls and corridors of a "village" through which a browser can wander as though playing a 3D video game. To load a set of Web sites into a personal gallery, a user must log into the developer's site, choose one of five designs, and enter the URLs. Each village holds up to 52 Web pages. It's a fun way to browse, and if you're not in a hurry, it's worth taking the time to experiment with strolling instead of surfing the Web.Publisher's description
From 3B :3B is a free browser that renders the web in 3D. Move around a 3B city as you wish, deciding at a glance which websites are worth visiting. This mimics a window-shopping like experience for browsing. "The 3B browser is undeniably cool and well-implemented" eWeek Jul 05. Includes built-in Firefox browser. Version 2.1.1 incorporates Firefox.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: 3B Browser 2.1.1
"Interesting concept, but limited in sites to visit"
Pros: Sure enough, it does it's thing in a pseudo "3-d" environment that you "walk" through to get around. In theory, this concept could lead to something along the lines of William Gibson's "Neuromancer" world, were cyber-cowbows zoom around a graphical representation of the net.
Cons: BUT! Only if the current incarnation of cyber-cowboys are mainly interested in shopping, especially women's clothing and accessories. (sigh)
Ok, before I say more, let me make clear that I have only taken about a 10 minute look at this program, so there may well be LOTS more that I missed. But basically the program opens with you a "cyber-airport" terminal. At which point you then "walk" around the terminal to go to various sites. However, the vast majority of the available sites are stores of one sort or another. And the majority of those stores are "women's" stores.
I think I understand why the creators used the analogy of an airport (I'm guessing that somehow - maybe in the future, or in a way I didn't yet discover), you are supposed to be able to travel to different "cities", each with it's own virtual airport.
However the airport I saw would better be defined as a shopping mall, with the user asigned the role of window shopper. And if you find a site you want, clicking on it will transport you into that site (in either 3d, or normal browser mode)
One note also, from what I can tell, you can also use 3B Browser in "flat" or normal non-3d mode to browse the rest of the internet that don't support it's 3d format.
One last very trivial note, my computer is an old dinosaur, about 8 years old, with a SLOW processor (400mhz PII), and ancient graphics card (first generation AGP). So for the few people left who also still use the same sort of dinosaur, you will find that 3B Browser is very slow, and the graphics are not stunning. However, MOST people will probably not have any problems.
Anyway, bottom line, great concept, fairly good execution (would be better if my own machine was faster and more up-to-date), but (at least for now) the 3d environment, seems to be too limited to commercial sites. Hopefully this sort of concept could catch on with other non-store sites, in which case it could grow to be really cool.
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: 3B Browser 2.1.1
"Something so Different Yet So GRAND! Enjoy!"
Pros: The Feel of it! How to get around! Easy to use. So Realistic! Great Learning Tool!
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