Intel and Nokia set sights on virtual worlds

Third life

Phone maker Nokia and chip giant Intel are teaming up to put 3D virtual worlds on mobile phones.

The pair have locked a bunch of two dozen boffins into a new lab in Oulo, Finland and told them to come up with something compelling.

The brief, according to the press statement, is to create interfaces "that are more natural and intuitive, in the same way that modern games and movies are more immersive through the use of realistic 3-D graphics."

They are seeking a way to plug the Meego mobile operating system the pair have put their weight behind.

Intel, which is trying to look beyond chips and pass itself off as a computer firm now that computers fit into your hand, said it hopes to take cues from the research to develop its next generation of microprocessors.

"3D has the potential to revolutionise mobile and internet user experiences," Heikki Huomo, director of Nokia’s center for internet excellence said, with his fingers crossed.