New kid on the block

Recommended By: Natalie Oe

Created By: Several secondlife residents

Website: http://www.slapt.me.com

Features:

* Easy to use marketplace for both merchants and consumers.

* Forums with a great community feel

* Friendly staff with a great sense of customer service.

* only 5% commission taken on sales.

* Simple & easy registration process.

* lots of terminal locations around secondlife.

* Add details about yourself & your store to your profile.

*Welcoming users & staff.

Review: Ok so I was IM’d several days ago about slapt.me.com, this site is the newest addition to take on xstreetsl and I have to say I see only good things in the future, The registration process was very straight forward and took less then 5 minutes. The first thing  I did after registering was to visit the forums, The forums has something for everyone, sections to advertise new releases, your own websites ect aswell as general chat areas. I scanned quite a few posts and noticed pretty much straight away the community feel, staff & users alike welcoming new members, one member said “slapt was like xstreet once was back in the days when it was slexchange” and I have to say I agree with statement.

The next thing I decided to do was make a post and get some general information, Almost immdiatley I was welcomed and my questions answered. That being done I decided to set up my items for sale, the setup is very much the same as xstreet, grab a merchant box, place it out in world, add your items, visit the website and list your items for sale….Now if your like me with hundreds of items, then this is going to take some time, listing the items is however pretty simple, I did have one suggestion of a feature that I’d like to see added, so I again visited the forums and posted, I was not ridiculed nor ignored, members and staff alike responded.

From a merchants point of view I’m yet to reap any benifits, but its been less then 24 hours so a little patience is needed.

From a users point of view I will be recommending slapt.me to all my in world friends and to anyone else who listens.

Rating:

Swing Lowe Windows

 

 

Item: Swing Lowe Windows

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Shayla Lowe

Purchased from: Copy provided by creator

Price as of Jan. 2009: 370 Lindens

Permissions: Copy and Modify

Prims: 3

 

URL: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=821481

 

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dogoog/142/45/305/?title=Swing%20Lowe%20Windows

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

• Real replica of swinging, hinged windows

• Privacy, security and remote control options

 

Review:

An interesting and unique choice in SL, the Swing Lowe windows are functional and very useful for the new builder to integrate into their creations. The are available in either a copyable set for individual use, or a transferable set for use in creating new structures. Set up is simple and easy to understand for any resident. Featuring privacy tinting options and the ability to add and remove friends from the access list on the fly, these windows are multi-functional and very useful for anyone looking for modern and unique windows to integrate into their build or current home.

 

Rating: 4 of 5 stars.

ZR One Prim Vendor v. 1.2

 

Item: One Prim Vendor v. 1.2

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Zaplok Riggles

Purchased from: Copy provided by creator

Price as of Jan. 2009: 699 Lindens

Permissions: Copy, Modify

Prims: 1 for server, 1 per vendor

 

URL: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1087438

 

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Thyris/233/87/22

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

 

• One prim server

• One prim per vendors

• Vendors support one item

• Very simple to update for sales, discounts

• Can split profits as needed with up to four owners

• Server tracks sales, up to the last 180

 

Review:

For any resident looking for a simple, quick and very low prim vendor solution for their store, this product would be an excellent choice. Featuring very straight forward setup and maintenance, each vendor prim will be available to sell one item at a time, drawn from the central server, which is also only one prim. Updates for sales, group discounts, and many other functions to save you the time of updating each item by hand. Co-owners are covered with split profits, up to four avatars at a time, and automatic IMs to co-owners to alert them about sales and other information. The set up is very simple and excellent for anyone who does not have the time or expertise for detailed vendor systems. As rezzing a copy of your creations can take up much more than one prim, this is a great choice for anyone on a limited prim allotment or store owners looking to clean up and streamline the look of their store. All components interact flawlessly thanks to the excellent scripting work by the creator. At the low price this vendor system is offered for, it’s hard to go wrong if you are looking for a simple and easy to use vendor for your store or mall location.

 

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

 

ZR Host HUD v1.6

 

Item: ZR Host HUD v. 1.6

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Zaplok Riggles

 

Purchased from: Review copy provided by creator

Price as of Jan. 2009: 499 Lindens

Permissions: Copy, Modify

Prims: 39

URL: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1124025

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Thyris/216/73/22

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

Features:

 

• Effortless tracking of everyone on your land

• HUD can great new visitors automatically

• Lists all visitors and tells you if you’ve not greeted them yet

• Can track up to 100 avatars at a time

• Updates list when visitors leave your parcel

• HUD only tracks avatars on your own parcel

• One click greetings, warnings, all of which can be customized

• Saves an enormous amount of work for club owners

 

 

Review:

Wow. A very long time ago in SL, I was part of the management team running a very successful club, and I can say from personal experience – it is a lot of work! Constant visitors and local chat so busy it fills your entire screen is just par for the course. For any person who works or owns a club, mall, store or other location in SL that gets a lot of visitors, this HUD is just invaluable. This product scans the area around you (it is a HUD attachment) looking for new visitors, and retains and displays a complete list of up to 100 avatars. If you’ve not yet greeted a particular visitor, their names will appear in green, and will be listed in white after you’ve spoken to them at least once, through the HUD – it can’t track people you speak to in local chat, of course. When minimized, the HUD will flash to alert you if a new visitor has arrived. One of the most useful feature is the ability to load this HUD with up to nine items which can then be given to your visitors, without all the hassle of looking for items and dropping them on people directly. For any resident who needs help tracking and greeting visitors to their land, this HUD is an excellent choice and a product I highly recommend.

 

 

Rating:

 

Redondo House v 1.2

 

 

Item: Redondo House

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Oct Oyen

 

Purchased from: Xstreet SL

Price as of Feb. 2009: $1500 L

Permissions: Copy, Modify

Prims: 145

 

URL: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1015654

 

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Coverdale/209/47/352/

 

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

 

• Central control for windows, etc…

• Automatic doors – no click to open

• Security, radio, lighting and fire places included

• Fits nicely on a simple 1024 sqm parcel

• Custom textures and excellent shadow prims

 

Review:

 

I wanted to review this house for two reasons – I’ve used it so much, and so I speak from experience when I say it’s a very well constructed home, and because I’ve used it in more than one role, and it’s been great for both. The latest edition, which I received as an automatic update a few months ago, included automatic doors that open whenever you are near. This house is very low on prims, but includes a full shadowing system to create a very realistic feel. It is spacious and includes a door to the upper level, so that you can use the area above the main room as a balcony or perhaps a small garden. Check out the SL-URL if you’d like to try out a demo first before buying – that is an excellent way to examine a structure before buying it, and a feature not a lot of builders offer in SL. For the price, if you are looking for an expertly built and textured home, this would be a choice I would highly recommend.

 

Rating:

 

VHI R-5 Accipiter VTOL Jet

 

 

Item: VHI R-5 Accipiter VTOL Jet

 

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Huns Valen

Purchased from: XstreetSL

 

Price as of Jan. 2009: 600 L

Permissions: Copy and Modify

Prims: 29

 

URL: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=103159

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

 

• Absolutely realistic flight simulation

• Full jet controls, vehicle performs just as a real jet would

• Vehicle can take off as normal or climb directly into the air

• Can seat pilot and one passenger

• Controls and responsive and constantly updated to the jet’s situation

• Includes an excellent HUD and detailed instructions

 

Review:

 

I happen to be a collector of vehicles in SL, and this one is one of my favorites, for its amazingly accurate reproduction of a proper flight simulation, within the restrictive physics environment that SL provides. I’ve not tested this product again under the new Mono base that Linden Labs implemented recently, but the vehicle’s handling should be unchanged. No updates have been received to optimize the vehicle’s scripts for Mono, as of the writing of this review. Regardless, flying this jet for the first time is a pleasure and a challenge. Because of the meticulous scripting work, the vehicle flies just as a real jet would, accurately responding to the vehicle’s position, trajectory and speed and adjusting responses to your control inputs accordingly. If you try to stall, you will. Too many barrel rolls? Crash. This is not your average SL vehicle, many of which fly more like UFOs or magical vehicles that are not affected by the laws of momentum. If you lack a sufficient runway – and mind you, a long runway is essential as even at full throttle this vehicle does need a bit of time to get up to a speed at which it can take off – then you can just utilize the VTOL or Vertical Take Off and Landing function to rise straight up into the air from any landing point. I’ve yet to find any vehicle in SL that does a better job of simulating a truly realistic flight experience. If you are looking for a vehicle that provides that challenge and thrill, this would be an excellent choice indeed.

 

Rating:

 

KR Engineering Texture Master v. 3

Item: K.R. Engineering Texture Master Organizer

 

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Stowe Elytis

Distributed by: Karsten Rutledge

 

Purchased from: Inworld Store

Price as of Jan. 2009: $1100 L

Permissions: Copy and Modify

Prims: 48

 

URL: https://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=783357

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karoastoff/128/128/50/

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

 

• Can hold an unlimited number of individual textures

• 16 user-defined categories for organizing

• Full name or partial name searching

• Automatic duplicate removal based on texture name

• Can distribute textures to group members or the public

• You can load hundreds of textures at a time to the organizer

Review:

 

There was once a dark time in my SL life. It was a time when I had no idea that products like the K.R. Engineering Texture Master Organizer existed. Back then, when I wanted a wall texture, I searched in inventory. I had many ingenious ways of sorting my textures but at the end of the day, I was still opening and closing them constantly, so I could see what they looked like. Then, not long after I’d joined SL and back when I was a newbie, a business associate of mine rezzed out his Texture Master, and I immediately asked where I might be able to get a copy. Many of the freebie textures I still have came from his copy – I remember distinctly clicking the menu buttons and receiving copies of all three thousand textures, organized into 30 folders of 100 textures each. It took all of two minutes for me to get my copies, and I was hooked on the Texture Master from that point on. When you first purchase this item, loading it with textures is simplicity in itself. No dropping them one by one, you can load folders with hundreds of textures at a time into this product, and it will happily process away in the background, with a simple hovertext display letting you know the progress. You can define up to 16 categories for your textures, and sort them accordingly so you need only look at the ones you want. The real advantage is in searching for textures – with 16 thumbnails per page, you can quickly see which textures are appropriate and which are not for your build. The search functions are fantastic and quick as can be, and the display can changed from the standard 4 by 4 to larger sizes with less thumbnails per page, to make fine details larger. It is important to note that while your Texture Master is modifiable, it is not designed to be resized! I found this out through painful experience – it was not pretty, let me tell you. Luckily it is copyable, so if you break it, just rez another copy and start over. If you build, want to build, or think you want to build in the future, this is simply an essential product. It’s the best texture organizer I’ve found to date in SL, and a product I highly recommend.

 

Rating: 

 

 

 

THiNC Printing Press and Books v. 2.5

 

Item: THiNC Press and Books

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

 

Created by: Toneless Tomba

Purchased from: XstreetSL Site

Price as of Jan. 2009: 895 L for printing press, 75 L for each book

 

Permissions: Modify and Transfer for press, either mod/transfer or copy/transfer for book

Prims: 20 for press, 9 for books

URL for Press: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=36648

URL for Books: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=11933

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

 

• Books can be bought for 75 Lindens each

• Press is not required to publish books

• Press is used to convert books to having copyable and transferable permissions

• Press also encrypts your information, so it can not be stolen

• Books can contain many pages, up to about 1000 or so…

 

Review:

 

This is a fascinating and extremely well-built product. The THiNC book is a 9 prim scripted object than can contain a vast number of textures. Yes, textures – while this is a book, it uses textures for all its information, not notecards. If you have a story or novel, you will have to typeset it any image manipulation program, like Adobe’s Photoshop or the GIMP. The scripts in the book are rather complex, but the book itself is simple and easy to use. The books are 75 L each, and are not copyable. So it you just want to make a few sample books or photo albums to give away to friends, there is no need to buy the printing press as well. However, if you want to create a book and then have copy rights to it, so you can give away or sell unlimited copies, the press will take care of that conversion. The actual process of converting a no-copy object to a no-modify object is a bit complex but I’ll summarize it for this review. Once your book is full of the textures you want, you simply rez your non-copyable book and select the menu option to convert it. The book will then say, in local chat, a list of encoded information, which you then copy to a notecard so it can be read by the printing press’ scripts. The book is then placed into the contents of the press, and it gets converted to an object with copy and transfer permissions. However, once converted, the book will no longer be modifiable. What is fascinating is that after conversion, the textures are removed from the books inventory, and are replaced with UUID references. This is more secure – but – be sure to not delete the textures you used to create your book, or they will no longer be available to be displayed on the copies you give out. That’s really all there is to it – once the press has processed the information and converted your book to a copyable form, it will deliver it to the press’ front hopper, so you can take it back into inventory. Books are very easy to browse – when first rezzed, they will be closed, and you need only touch the front cover to open it and start reading. Books can be resized, and you can specify custom textures for the front and back covers, as well as the inner cover and spine. With a multitude of customization options, the ability to publish complete books and distribute them in SL, and the robust but simple to use interface and menu system, the THiNC Press is a wonder of SL technology, and a product I highly recommend.

 

Rating: 

Zooby’s Ultimate Cat 7.0

 

Product Name: Zooby’s Ultimate Cat 7.0

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

 

Summary

Created by: Carrie Tatsu

Acquired from: XstreetSL

Price as of Jan. 2009: $2100 L

Permissions: Copy

Prims: 30 for cat, assorted for its accessories

 

How to buy

URL: http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1045358

Merchant ID: http://ww.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=53094

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zoobyland/127/130/21/

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features

 

• Real interactive AI simulation of a cat – he will do what he wants to do…

• Cat will free roam when you’re not around

• Cat can patrol a route, or randomly roam a specified area

• Cat can follow you or your friends, and can even guard your land

• Cat can be attached to your avatar and taken with you anywhere

• Package includes a bed, food/water bowls, and other accessories

• Cat will interact with all his accessories without prompting

Review

Wow. What can I say, this is one of the most advanced pets I’ve seen in SL, and its price tag is set accordingly. So, after shelling out a hefty $2100 L for this bad boy, was I disappointed? Oh no sir, not one bit! This little kitty is truly independent – he will patrol his area all on his own, play with his own toys, and can even be set to push unauthorized visitors off your land… and then return to his little bed for a nap! I also liked the option to be able to set up a patrol path for him if I wanted, or to let him roam free. I picked this up recently, as I had a much older version from the creator, and I wanted to see what the “Ultimate” version included. The ability to have your cat attach to you so you can take him anywhere you go is a major plus over most any other SL pet. I left my cat ‘Raven’ rezzed at my gallery overnight – in the morning, I found the poor guy treading water. He’d fallen off the edge of the dock, because I’d set his roaming range a little bit too wide… oops! With features like an optional HUD that will allow you to locate a lost cat where ever he might be in a sim, to a very robust AI simulation controlling the cat behaviors, to the multitude of accessories that are included, this is indeed the ultimate SL cat.

 

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

 

CORN Instincts Bed #5

Recommended by: Dacob Paine

Created by: Cornelius Sloat

 

Purchased from: XstreetSL Used Items section

Price: $5000 L for the set

Permissions: Modify and Transfer only

Prims: 24 prims for bed

 

URL: http://uncensored.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=858506

SL-URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kisping/158/79/467/

 

DISCLAIMER: The following is a brief, impartial and independent review of the above entitled product/service/object as currently available for purchase within the virtual world of Second Life. I, Dacob Paine, was not compensated for my work in any form. I am not involved with the creators of any reviewed products in any form. My reviews and recommendations are not to be misconstrued as endorsements or warranties as to the availability, usefulness, function or continued utility of any product presented here.

 

Features:

 

• Not a standard sex bed – an “intimate” bed per the creator

• Four categories of couple’s animations, including flirting and relaxing

• Excellent design using custom sculpties and textures

• Included animations are high quality and appear to be all custom

 

Review:

 

I happened to have picked up this item used, from another resident who had originally purchased the full set. As I only bought the bed, I can’t comment on the accessories (end table, light, etc…) that are included. Regardless, I’m very impressed with this product – the scripting work is excellent, and the design of the bed is sophisticated and modern. When first rezzed, you will need to “turn on” the bed to have it load up its animations. The bed includes a number of animations, I’ve not counted them all but the creator claims there are about 40 pairs in total. What I really enjoy are the flirting and cuddling categories of animations, which are missing from many other “sex bed” products. Sadly I do not have the instructions, so I’m unsure as to whether a purchaser can add additional animations of their own, a feature offered on some other high-end products in this category. If you are looking for an all-around bed that is equally suitable for lounging in the middle of the day and getting down and dirty in the the middle of the night, this would be an excellent choice.

 

Rating: