That said, we’re continuing Second Talk development and support. Why? A few reasons:

1. Linden Labs’ integrated voice won’t work everywhere. Second Life landowners determine whether or not voice is enabled on their property, so it’ll be entirely possible to cross from one region where voice works to another where it does not.
2. Linden Labs’ system isn’t free. Second Life landowners must upgrade to the current $295/month land tier in order to use Linden Labs’ system on their regions. Although this is a small investment, we understand that a lot of landowners won’t want to make it.
3. We’ve been asked to continue support. Even in light of Linden Labs’ announcement, many Second Talk users have asked us to continue support for Second Talk. Many people want a system that simply facilitates connection to an impartial third-party voice system, rather than routing through a captive system.

And, as of today, we’re making the committment that Second Talk will be free forever. We won’t ever charge for the headsets, and you’re free to pick up a copy of our distribution kiosk from our mainland office in Maui, or by asking Adam Rakosi or Fallon Winnfield in-world.

Think of it as a Google-esque beta–it lasts forever, it works everywhere, and it’s free, so everything’s cool.

But, as always, let us know what you think. Are there any features we should consider adding? Do you want to help us make Second Talk better? Should we just pack it in?

We’d also like to remind you that you can chat via voice right now using Second Talk. If you’d like a headset kiosk for your own land, just stop by Centric’s main office in Maui and take a copy. And remember: it’s free.

Important Update: You can now change your Skype ID via chat. The instructions have been edited with further details.

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Vodaphone Announcement on Marketingweek

Which is cool! I wish them success when the device launches, and I hope the cost is reasonable. Of course, you have our friendly Second Talk headsets now, and they’re free. So hey. There you go.

An even more important announcement was made by Linden Lab a little later, saying they’re working on integrating voice chat with audio localization in Second Life:

Linden Interview on ITwire

Very, very cool! We worked a bit with Ventrilo and talked about calculating avatar position to send to their localizer, but it was a little much for a first release. We’re looking forward to Linden Lab’s integrated solution. In the meantime, we’re happy to get the ball rolling with Second Talk. So grab a headset, talk to your friends, and let us know what you think!

First of all, yes, they’re coming.

Second, how will you know? The easiest way is to join the Second Talk Group and choose to receive group notices. When we have an upgrade, we’ll let you know.

Third, what’s next? Easier initialization, SkypeOut, adding people in SL to your RL Skype favorites, and a networked kiosk system so you’ll be able to give away Second Talk headsets to residents visiting your land. In the meantime, let us know what you think, and thanks for using Second Talk!

With Second Talk, you won’t be tied to a base station. Second Talk headsets are designed to be worn, and they’re fully portable. So drop into your favorite club and find some new friends to talk to. Or hand out headsets at your next business meeting and get your work done faster.

And, you also won’t pay to talk. Since Second Talk uses Skype for voice chat, it’s completely free. Make as many calls as you’d like, and talk as long as you want.

How does it work? Simple. Your Second Talk headset automatically scans for other Second Talk users nearby. When it finds one or more, it alerts you and asks if you’d like to talk to them. Choose one or more friends to talk to, and Second Talk connects you instantly.

Get Second Talk Here

Of course, nothing is perfect. This isn’t the magical fully-integrated voice chat application we’d love to have. But, now that the client is open-source, we’ll definitely be looking into that.

We’re launching Second Talk with a free public beta, so pick one up, try it out, and let us know what you think!