More than half of that is from sales of digital items like movies, music and games, but also virtual goods.
FORBES: U.S. Virtual Goods Market Will Pass $2 Billion In 2011, Study Reports
With that popularity comes opportunity -- and not only for Internet land barons like self-proclaimed Second Life millionaire Anshe Chung, but also virtual builders, landscapers and interior decorators, designers of avatar clothing and accessories, and even community moderators and governors.
On-the-move workers in the utilities, field services, and oil and gas industries can easily carry it from place to place and have easy access to not only the Internet but also their companies' virtual private network (VPN) while they are away from the office.
ENGADGET: GammaTech rugged T7Q launches at $2k and up, promptly steals your iPad's lunch money
Facebook makes its money primarily through display advertising, but also facilitates the purchase of virtual goods in games and applications running on its platform through Facebook Credits, a virtual currency.
FORBES: Three Factors Affecting Facebook's $45 Billion Value
Rewards devaluation therefore not only complicates rewards programs utilizing virtual currency, but also casts an aura of uncertainty over anyone earningpoints or miles.
We like virtual reality headsets, but we also refuse to accept any such headsets with displays below 7-inches in size.
ENGADGET: Hands-on with the newer, larger Oculus Rift prototype (video)
And the real problem here is that what the federal laws are trying to do is regulate, not just actual pictures of children in horrible circumstances, but they're also trying to prohibit the virtual depiction of them.
But more importantly, this virtual traffic copter can also keep an eye out for network issues that are more troublesome, like unauthorized users and outside attackers.
Facebook is unprecedented not only in its scale but also in its ability to blur boundaries between the real and virtual worlds.
But you also know far less about what is going on with these virtual assets than you do with the computing that goes on in your data center.
Android phones may also ride the surge in mobile virtual goods sales, but the platform will need to do a better job of luring gamers and game developers first.
FORBES: U.S. Virtual Goods Market Will Pass $2 Billion In 2011, Study Reports
Young men are a big audience, but the South Korean firms are also attracting women, who seem especially fond of virtual avatars.
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Virtual games such as Second Life and The Sims Online have not only proved to be commercially successful, but have also encouraged public interest and generated a wider understanding of the possibilities that virtual reality (VR) represents.
But it also takes a slice of the sales of digital tractors, swords and other virtual goods in games run by Zynga and others that use Facebook's platform to reach customers.
This transforms the car into a virtual office, giving motorists not only dull information such as how fast they are travelling, but also e-mail, the Internet, news services and navigation functions.
应用推荐