TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on February 10, 2013

What happens when you combine a high-quality 3D screensaver, social media and games, and environmental activism? You get TheBlu, that's what. TheBlu is something new, an interactive 3D app specifically tied to a social cause, protecting the oceans. TheBlu's realistic underwater world is relaxing and soothing but also educational, and making purchases to add to it supports oceanic conservation, according to Wemo Media. You can dive right in simply by downloading the free screensaver. TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver is far more than any screensaver we've yet seen, though, with an interactive display, social connections like chat, and Facebook integration. While it's not a game, it's fun to play around with, and it incorporates lots of game elements. You can adopt fish species by earning points for following different fish or by purchasing more fish, with a percentage going to support conservation. But you don't have to buy anything to support TheBlu and its cause: simply download and use its free screensaver to see what it's all about.

While TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver was loading (it says it's "diving") we created a free account with TheBlu, though you can also sign in via Facebook. You don't have to wait for your screensaver to kick in, either; you can dive into TheBlu at any time by clicking its desktop shortcut. TheBlu's simulation is one of the most realistic underwater views we've seen, thanks no doubt to the participation of many talented individuals known to TheBlu's community as Makers. Accurately rendered fish and sea life began to appear. We could follow the motion and behavior of individual fish. By clicking a number of times and following three different fish, we were able to use our earned points to adopt a species. We quickly realized TheBlu's advantage as a learning tool since it made it fun to learn about the different kinds of fish swimming around our desktop.

Every time the experts predict the demise of the screensaver, someone manages to reinvent it. TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver proves the point: it's cool, it's fun, and it benefits a good cause. Plenty of fish in the sea? Let's hope so. TheBlu's goal is to keep it that way.