Las Vegas (NV) - Just in time for CES, Internet start-up SpaceTime has launched the first official version of its "3D Web browser", which lets users manipulate their Internet surfing experience in a completely new way.

---

See the future of Web browsing...

---

Imagine a Web browser where, when you do a Google search, instead of receiving a text list of sites, you get a dozen or so visual previews of matching websites on one screen without needing to scroll through them.

That's the main appeal behind SpaceTime's new self-titled browser.  The same concept applies to image searching and even Ebay - type in what you want and receive pictures of several top results instantaneously.

Additionally, SpaceTime allows users to create multiple tabs, and have them in the background and all time for easy toggling back and forth and so you remember exactly which sites you have opened.

The "3D" part, though, comes with the ability to manipulate any Web page.  You can zoom in and out, pan across in all directions, and even flip the Internet window as though it was a three-dimensional card.  Through integrated browser buttons, you can also save a snapshot of your Internet workspace at any time, and have it restore any previously saved session.

"We hope to dynamically change the way people use the Web," said SpaceTime CEO Edward Bakhas in a statement released during CES.  Users can download version 1.0 of the SpaceTime browser at spacetime.com.

3d?

Jan 08, 2008 15:26     

is this really the best they can do with 3d? more like the same old stuff on vista. at list in list view you can see all search result. now I end up with the top page automatically opened and the rest of the pages opened in the background(so small you can't see it anayway after you got to the fourth page...which can also be dangerous if some pages has virus since you now pre-open all pages...plus it could be slow if bunch of web pages are opened at the same time. do I really need all search result in my face when queried...or I should at least pre-screen some of them first.... plus this is still a 3D in a 2D presentation...that's why it's still bad... you need to see in real 3d to make it work better.. at least like a 3d projection....

olpc report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

3d...

Jan 08, 2008 17:14     

imo, it's just a 2D but 3D wannabe. The biggest obstacle thing with animated interactions is excessive use of animations turns something from cool into a hassle. The way how webpages work right (as individual pieces of paper-like-interface) limits alot to create true 3D experience. We cannot enjoy the inter"net" as a 3D model yet.
eeto report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Turbo Gopher 3D!!!...

Jan 08, 2008 23:28     

Turbo Gopher 3D!!!
seven report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Does this remind anyone...

Jan 09, 2008 10:22     

Does this remind anyone of the old Excite attempt at 3D web browsing that came along about the same time as the release of the Pentium III? Excite's was horribly slow and never really gave the user an environment that had any benefit (aside from animations). Here's hoping this doesn't fall flat on its face like Excite's did...
Philstuf report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Win Only :(

Jan 09, 2008 15:28     

It looks great but it is only for Windows. They should make cross platform versions; Linux, Apple, eComStation, etc.
TomLeeM/BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

HTML is overused

Jan 09, 2008 15:59     

The big problem with web user experiences is the use of HTML. HMTL (I'm including XHTML) is a good, solid, document format. BUT it was never intended for user interface design. CSS and AJAX are just band-aids for bad choices. The Java Applet/Flash/Silverlight routes are also just band aids. What we really need is a standard for doing user interfaces. Maybe something along the lines of XAML if you want to stick to XML/SGML, but that's of course proprietary. Whether you love or hate Microsoft, a proprietary format's not the right answer. This format would also come with some sort of trademarked logo. This trademark would only be allowed to be used by those applications that fully comply (IE, Firefox, and Opera were failing the W3C's rendering tests last time I saw results). I think the Excite effort was VRML based. My experience with VRML is its slow period. Given internet connections and 3d rendering performance at the time, you have a confluence of negatives that they were trying to deal with. this is also one of those things like voice input. It sounds cool, but I don't think anyone really understands the implications of what they're asking for.

Jim L report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0