RSS Going 3D: Microsoft's UniveRSS

Microsoft's UniveRSS is a showcase application for the Windows Vista operating system that demonstrates emerging 3D possibilities for RSS.

While the feeds themselves are not yet 3D content, UniveRSS visualizes RSS feeds and their contents in a 3D-type display.  The 3D feed reader display is a full-screen "universe"  with cubes representing feeds.  Like tagging systems, the size of the cubes represent the number of unread items.  RSS feed cubes display feed logos as well feed contents.

From Microsoft's The Panel:

You navigate through the feed galaxies in a game-like environment, freely moving in all three dimensions. Selecting items in lists will turn the cube to the next side displaying the item's content including images. Just click the right mouse buttons and you turn back to the list view or to the galaxy.

Currently UniveRSS is managed through Internet Explorer 7, however in the future feed management will be able to be done inside the UniveRSS application itself.  The source code as well as the UniveRSS application is downloadable from Microsoft's site.  UniveRSS requires the Vista operating system.

UniveRSS is not Microsoft's only foray into 3D environments.  They announced Photosynth in July of this year, which "stitches" together images from all over the web into 3-dimensional displays.

The 3D web gets ever closer.

December 10, 2006