July 18, 2007

3D Mailbox: Worst. App. Ever.

Duncan Riley

128 comments »

Do you find dealing with email boring? Would your day be brighter if your email was rendered as characters in a SecondLife style universe, complete with spam eating sharks? Were you dropped on your head as a child? Introducing 3D Mailbox.

We get to see a lot of new products and services at TechCrunch, many of them bad; usually it’s a case that they won’t get a run. Then there are those that are so bad they a worthy of mention. Crunchgear’s John Biggs summed it up well in an email to me (see their very brief coverage here): “I was so disgusted that I couldn’t write anymore”. 3D Mailbox has also received attention from the press; Michael Parsons at The Times Online described 3D Mailbox as “The worst software application I have ever seen…a waste of valuable processing power,” Richard Bartle in the Guardian notes “When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was a parody.” Sadly Richard, it’s not.

By all means, judge it for yourself. The 3D Mailbox client is Windows only with no plans for a Mac version.

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  3. “Go where no email has gone before” « Full Metal Cynic
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  5. Sethop’s Interesting Times » Blog Archive » Is email slowly becoming obselete?
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  8. inkhorn » On the need for 3D environments.

Comments

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  1. BeingParents

    The Good,The Bad,The Ugly.

    The are all worth checking out.

  2. Duncan Riley

    BeingParents
    some though are created more badly than others :-)

  3. reyonthehill

    This has to be a joke.

  4. yongfook

    I LULZD.

  5. sandl

    So if my mom emails me, it will show up as a half naked, hot blond? uugh… no, thanks

  6. Useful Concept

    I use their visitorville product. I just turned the 3d part off. The rest of it actually provides some great real time visitor stat info. No need for email though. I really enjoyed the over the top video, however.

  7. art

    The logo ist cool, though =)

  8. Viet

    Cool video demo indeed. Any teenager in here?

  9. Raj

    I think this is a really interesting concept, but horribly executed - but the idea of adding some pizazz to email made me start thinking that email is still the one aspect of the web that isn’t much different than it was in Gopher days - and this may be a consequence of the medium, but there hasn’t been much major innovation (besides in spam filtration and back-end delivery system scale).

    It would be cool to have this kind of system in a personal email box where you could choose avatars for people and get a “visit” from someone whenever you receive an email - or it might work for game systems (like the Wii Miis). I think my 50 year old mom who can’t really use a computer would find this a cool and familiar way to answer mail.

    Having people download and run a bloated client is really a backward approach - but it really makes you think outside the box

  10. paul

    oh my word. you have got to be kidding me. can we feed this program to the sharks? or maybe i can get a 3D virtual reality read out of my notepad doc.

  11. gilltots

    this is an interesting idea - and at least it serves a purpose - as opposed to second life, where you just wander around aimlessly. and look how popular second life is.

    Michael Parsons is full of shit - if processing power were so valuable, why does everyone use tons of it to watch a cat flush a toilet over and over? people don’t want to fold proteins all day, they want to be entertained - and this seems to fit the bill.

    but speaking of useless apps, how about a review of the techcrunch toolbar? it’s not even 3d!

  12. Today Is Not Over Yet

    Even them are not serious about this. That trailer looks as a parody to me

  13. B. Durant

    Wow. Just wow… I’m nearly speechless. Needless to say I agree with most everyone else. Very poor idea.

  14. datter

    I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… if I wanted a 3d universe, I’d go outside.

  15. Erik

    “The 3D Mailbox client is Windows only with no plans for a Mac version.”

    What a pity…

  16. Josh

    Looks like Grand Theft Auto for email.

  17. Ricky

    Anything that the haters hate so much, needs to be judged independently. That’s where I come in :) Seriously, I downloaded and installed it, which the haters don’t do, and I was pretty friggin impressed. It’s very well put together, is a full featured email client with a MUCHO entertaining world around it. I like Brazilian music, bikini chicks, and humour… and this has it all in abundance. You need a sense of humor, as this is high-parody. In fact, it doesn’t take itself very seriously, but it is seriously done, and that alone is very cool.

  18. homer

    My Almighty God have mercy on the kids. I’m trembling.

  19. jamie martin

    looks like was incredimail was trying to do

  20. Jay (living in First Life)

    So Duncan, please explain why this is such a waste but SecondLife, Gaia, etc. aren’t?

    It’s amazing how you selectively choose to call stuff “The worst” or “the best” but have no consistency.

    Again, when is Duncan Riley getting fired for worthless editorial standards?

  21. Julio

    The inventor of this program is a very rich man because of internet software. He has a private island. He can do whatever he wants. That’s why office mice like me hate this so much. How can the Sims and Second Lifes and 3D Mailbox make their inventors so rich while I work for a stupid ISP for the rest of my life?

  22. Greg Harris

    I hate to think about what amazing product could have been built using those wasted development hours.

  23. A Reader

    Nigel Powell, columnist and feature writer for the Sunday Times newspaper in London and author of the Sunday Times Book of Computer Answers (Harper Collins), writes:

    “3D Mailbox is definite proof that Robert Savage is either a genius or a fruitcake. For the record Robert is the creator of Visitorville, the 3D web stats program which shows site visitors as 3D avatars arriving to a site on buses labeled Google, Yahoo! or other referrers etc…
    I think it’s probably genius. It’s certainly different and could be quite a bit of fun.”

    Source: http://www.redferret.net/?p=8969

  24. tito

    a private island eh…i hope one of his sharks eats him…or maybe too many people will use it and the intarweb will break..ohnoez

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJCyAHJ27Uw

  25. Brett

    i love when you guys tear into a product/service. it makes me laugh.

  26. Watepal

    This is my 1st comment on TC after reading for a long time….

    when will the insanity end? it is email.. why would anyone want or need this, email to most people is a necessity and not something that is “fun”. If I want fun, listen to some tune, watch a movie, or maybe as someone else said.. go outside..

    At least they know the demographic to go after.. the 15-24 year olds.. spam eating sharks.. the inbox is a pool? If this is the future of web apps, stop the bus and let me off right here..

  27. An innocent victim

    I haven’t read the other comments so maybe someone already covered this. But here’s one big reason why this app is “Worst. App. Ever.”

    A 3d email program is a cheesy gimmick that nobody will ever use for more than 3 seconds. I don’t think anyone, even the creator, would ever deny that. It’s silly and slow. But, for some reason, the creator decided have the option “Delete mail from server after retrieval” checked by default, and I think hidden somewhere, because I never saw it.

    So, after installing this app and entering my server details, all of my email was retrieved and deleted (I had about 40-50 work-related emails in the account that required my attention). But I didn’t know it was deleted. So, I uninstalled 3dmailbox after a few minutes (like anyone would after seeing such a program), and the next time I logged in to my webmail I noticed all the email was gone.

    Ouch.

    If anyone else comes across this, there’s some good news. When you uninstall 3dmailbox, it leaves your mail files somewhere on your computer (I can’t remember where, in your user account folder or something). Inside that folder you’ll find some database files. This is an “SQLite” database. If you know SQL, you can recover the email from these files with a little bit of work. Find someone who knows databases and they’ll be able to help you.

    Now, I realize it was dumb of me to install such a program, and even dumber to use it with my primary email account, so I don’t blame you if you’re laughing at me.

  28. Brad

    The woman diving in the beginning isn’t half naked. She’s COMPLETELY naked!!!

  29. BuddhaGirl

    Seems there is a lot of good press about this program which the Orally man omitted. (Remember that line from Fawlty Towers? Manuel cannot pronounce O’Reilly, so he calls the workman “Orally” LOL). Anywho… checks dis out, it’s a brilliant interview with the chap who invented 3DM:
    http://www.smartmoney.com/thep.....;nav=RSS20

  30. Zoli Erdos

    How come no-one pointed out the diver chick loses her bikini for a moment? :-)

  31. An innocent victim

    Oh my god, now I read the comments and some people actually wrote in support of this thing. Haha that’s great. Seriously, in this history of computing no worse program has ever been created.

  32. jeremy

    Spam rendered as big fat guys on the beach? Who actually thought that was a good idea?

  33. Christopher Sisk

    3-D Mailbox: “TnA for your email”

  34. Anon_Troll

    This reminds me of iBloks.com http://www.ibloks.com/ another total useless piece of crap. “Oh, but we have developers and PMs who’ve worked at MSN therefore out idea is good” - bullcrap. Should be a way to nominate sites like this for some kind of “Worst of…” award.

  35. jannes

    Porjects like this announcing that the “new economy bubble 2.0″ is going to burst in the very near future.

  36. Joe T.

    Maybe it would be cooler if you could convert each one of your friends’ email addresses into a small avatar of that person, complete with their voice. Then when you open up an email from them, you’d see a little image of your friend standing there talking to you…

    Naaaah!

  37. Greg

    This is pretty awesome right here.

  38. John W

    So if your get a virus by email, all the people will be infected with horrible diseases and die and the shark will putrefy in the pool?

  39. Jason W

    Outstanding. I almost peed myself.

  40. Jeffrese

    Oh shut up nay sayers. Someone went out and tried something new. Support entrepreneurs, leave your bitterness at you 9-5 bullshit, safe corporate job.

  41. Brian

    Don’t laugh, but if I had to choose between the bloated monstrosity that is Outlook 2007 and 3D Mailbox…at least 3D Mailbox might give me a reason to laugh, as opposed to hurling this Vaio out the nearest window! :-)

  42. Mike

    Haha, I am keeping an ear out for news of someone buying this (I know a few who would).

  43. ed

    They created a buzz and it’s working. They knew they couldn’t compete with the YMail/Gmail, so this is definitely the way to go.

  44. Zoli Erdos

    @42 Brian, you have other choices :-)

  45. Alex

    I think it’s a great-looking ‘email client’ (can i call it that?). Utterly pointless but pure genious! :)

  46. Kevin

    someone tried for being best for worst, and fortunately succeeded ;)

  47. Jaimee

    “When not coordinating the 40 people behind 3D Mailbox from his home office, he enjoys relaxing on his private island with his wife and daughter, road biking up mountains, poring over Shakespeare’s plays, and playing the absurd Italian playboy Marcello Mastrantonioni on YouTube.”

    – Too much time spent lying in the hot sun on his private island methinks.

  48. PhatGuy

    As a morbidly obese individual, I take offense at the depiction of spam as morbidly obese individuals, and the depiction of good mail as slim and beautiful girls and guys. Or am I taking this too personally? Hell, if there were an anorexic as spam too, that would round things out, and I’d feel better about it. I don’t want to be sittin eatin my Big Mac and have some guy yell out, “Hey, you’re the dude from 3D Mailbox!” Ya know?

  49. Paul Bradish

    “So if my mom emails me, it will show up as a half naked, hot blond? uugh… no, thanks”

    LMAO.

  50. An innocent victim

    I may have overreacted. It was really frustrating to lose my email and spend 2/3 of a day trying to recover it, but, fair enough, it was my own fault for missing the option. The bad memory of losing my email stuck around a bit longer than the good points, which I guess is always what happens when you have a less-than-awesome customer experience :)

    The program does exactly what it says it does - it is a 3d mail application. The company replied quickly to my email with tips on how to avoid the problem I had, and even made a change to the program in response to my issue. So, there’s really nothing about it I don’t like… so try it out and form your own opinion :)

    What happened to me could have happened with any mail program.

  51. Andy

    Awww come on. How many of us sent the link to a few friends saying “omg, look at this - can you beleive this is for real etc etc”.

    When was the last time you sent mail to friends saying “wow, there’s a new version of Outlook coming out, it’s incredible’. What we have here is a viral email client - possibly the first and last!

    There’s been larger travesties of programing. There’s Vista…

  52. ed

    Phat,

    I think you should sue him, sue McDonalds for making you fat and sue YouTube (just because) also.

  53. Brave Supporter

    Jeffrese wrote: “Oh shut up nay sayers. Someone went out and tried something new. Support entrepreneurs, leave your bitterness at your 9-5 bullshit, safe corporate job.”

    Amen! You nailed them! Now this is a man with sense.

  54. Who will win in the end?

    Buzz buzz buzz! Gotta love it!

  55. Paul Bradish

    For better or worse, publicity is publicity and buzz is buzz. These guys are going to get plenty of it.

  56. Concrete Stain

    yeah just bad

  57. Mitch

    Waste of valuable processing power? Come on! Your PC is like a 100X more powerful than what was being used for pretty much exactly the same crap 15 years ago. Unless you are playing games, compiling code, rendering 3D animation, or running Vista - you have processing power to spare.

    Lighten up! Why not take advantage of your ridiculous PC hardware for something fun? I think it’s brilliant.

  58. Bret Fausett

    I think you’ve been fooled. Surely that was a joke. It can’t be a real app.

    — Bret

  59. Simian Redux

    3D Mailbox = Genius. That’s all there is to say.

  60. The-RockeR

    I tried It for a while. After 5 minutes is boring.

  61. Tony C

    Reeks of so bad its good potential - and I’m guessing the developers think so as well. Add an open API and this thing blows up.

  62. patricia

    Meh, jazzy email applications were all over the last time around (98-2002) and they just never got any traction. I can’t see that this time around would be any different, unfortunately.

  63. Joel Selvadurai

    Ok, we’re officially in a tech bubble now..

  64. Todd

    I read the fine print. The free version of that software watermarks all your out going email with their logo and an advertisement for 3D Mailbox - you have to pay them $29.99 to make it stop doing that. Nice. Not only is it the worst software ever, but its viral too.

    I am officially afraid Microsoft is gonna buy this company and ad 3D Mailbox to Office 2008 as a “Ultimate Extra”.

  65. Dawn

    LOL

    Well, 13 year old boys will like it. Maybe that’s enough.

  66. James

    Nahhh…. It’s waste of time.

  67. numa

    LOL!!!!

    I love it!!! where can I buy this?????

  68. AaronF

    The title should be: “Because email isn’t inefficient enough, we’ve added a third dimension”

  69. Clyde Smith

    Spam eating sharks?

    I knew getting dropped on my head in childhood wasn’t as tragic as it sounds!

    Seriously, though:
    “The 3D Mailbox client is Windows only with no plans for a Mac version.”

    This is the happiest I’ve ever been at hearing that line.

  70. David

    In real business world. Most entrepenurers and businesses don’t usually play games and spending too much time on secondlife.

    In order to get high salary… You have to stop playing video game. I don’t know why some companies don’t allow businessman play secondlife or post blogs. Some fear getting job fired.

  71. Juan José

    Very good

  72. Clyde Smith

    #17 - “Looks like Grand Theft Auto for email.”

    Which suggest that despite my initial reactions it’s got a chance. And I have to admit that there is an appeal to this product, whether or not it’s actually a very good app at the moment.

    It also suggests some interesting possibilities ahead, though considering the amount of spam I get, I think the scene will be flooded with obese avatars.

  73. Life

    This is stupid video and program I ever seen.

    Full of hookers, sluts, prositutes, and even cheeseburger men at beach.

  74. WTF

    I still can’t believe you TC guys thought the whole web 2.0 toilet-finder app was a good idea…I can’t get that out of my head. You’ll have to forgive those of us who think you’re review street cred is still hurting from that.

  75. Don Wilson

    Cool,

    Where can I download it?

  76. dnm

    Ricky: Do they pay well over at that company? You obviously are an employee.

  77. Ben Mc

    I’m sorry, this looks like fun. NOT for my business mail, but for the mailbox I use for friends, family, etc. I’m going to try it for sure, just for kicks - because email IS boring from an application standpoint.

  78. Nickolas Greising

    I’d rather have a Jump to Conclusions mat where you have different conclusions that you can “jump” to.

  79. Sean

    This is so insanely wrong that I think I’m going to give the trial a shot :-)

  80. adam

    meh. At least they’re trying something new. Sure their marketing is cheezy and annoying… but isn’t that the basis of all marketing. ;)
    I dunno… I’ve seen worse, imo.
    (you techcrunch writers sure are arrogant sometimes)

  81. blakaraka

    @74 Life

    “This is stupid video and program I ever seen.
    Full of hookers, sluts, prositutes, and even cheeseburger men at beach.”

    I need to check it out.

  82. Michael Vu

    Wow, that is horrible!! Hahahahahaha, they made that? What happened? It’s like Second Life and Juno Mail had nasty kids.

  83. Boilerup

    Sharks will definatly eat anything that comes accross much less spam. Check out bluepogo.com if you are a non-profit and want to send beneficial email that won’t get eaten by sharks.

  84. Galloway

    What, did everyone who visits here all lose their sense of humor at once? Because if you watch this trailer and aren’t even a little amused, YOU are the ones who need a life.

  85. LN

    The thing I can’t work out is why people need to express an opinion about someone’s, (in this case Duncan’s), opinion. (Which kinda puts me in a bit of a Catch-22 situation, but there you go…).
    I’ve always thought the point of TC and other tech-blogs etc was to present info, preferably before you read about it in your local newspaper’s techsection, or “Tech-time with Dave” on your local TV network etc. For commenters such as Jay (21), I have to ask why your very negative opinion is even slightly relevant to anyone else.
    Berate the product being reviewed for sure, - but personal attacks on the writer of a blog you visit…?!

  86. Bill Hartzer

    Galloway, they need a (second) life, not a first one. LOL

    What happens if those sharks eat my email and then I want to get it back or look at it because someone sent me an important email and I never got it–and I think it’s in my spam folder. What then? Can I get a look at my spam folders?

    I wouldn’t use this for my business email, but it could be pretty cool for other emails.

  87. Disgruntled

    Stop writing about stupid shit.

  88. Jay Tillery

    I wouldn’t use it. That sweet little message from Grandma might get eaten by 3D sharks.

  89. Morten S

    I agreee with Duncan 100%: This is just .The .Bad .Idea.

    The rest of the day is so filled with flashed images all over, I actually ENJOY just reading my emails - plain text…

  90. eachday

    Why aren’t there any soul brothers in 3D Mailbox? As an african american, I am deeply offended by the lack of diversity in this meta universe. Now I will certainly not spend my hard earned $29.95 otherwise incredibly useful product.

  91. riley duncan

    No, really, it must be a joke. When I read my mail I want words and I want them fast, not this horrible theather.

  92. SM

    i think it is kind of funny!

  93. Vince

    It’s not all that bad when you look at it from the perspective of a virtual world. I could be in second life or WOW, and my mail could be read out to me by a sexy mailbot/ess or barbarian/ess of choice.

  94. David Scott Lewis

    How does “BeingParents” often get the #1 position in the comments section? This seems quite odd.

    Anyway, I couldn’t agree more about 3D Mailbox. It doesn’t get much dumber than this. Second Life is bad enough; 3D Mailbox takes this BS to a new level … makes SL seem mainstream in comparison.

  95. earbudace

    i actually dont think its that bad…i’d never use it, but i dont think it’s as horrible as everyone is saying it is

    lol@ #88

  96. Mark

    Sounds like a take on Sony’s PostPet application, that was all the rage among girls and women in Japan in the late 1990s:

    http://www.petworks.co.jp/~hac.....stPet.html

    http://www.postpet.so-net.ne.jp/

    http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostPet

    They spun off the characters into stuffed animals, clothing, and branded items of all sorts, and made them a fortune.

  97. aandarian

    #97 and counting…

  98. Greg J. Smith

    I actually think this is the funniest thing I have seen on the net this year. Kind of turns all the progress done in the art of visualization upside down.. but, well it is good for a laugh. :)

  99. Pat

    @Brad

    “The woman diving in the beginning isn’t half naked. She’s COMPLETELY naked!!!”

    Yeah, I noticed that too! It’s at about 1:02 in the trailer.

    April Fools in July?

  100. Grant

    Absolutely hilarious…

  101. techguy

    One more reason to own a Mac?

  102. Josh

    Well, I’m disappointed that it doesn’t work on OS X. It looks like a hoot and if they can find enough people that actually like it enough to buy the full product then all power to them. Folks here seem to be confusing ‘bad’ with ‘bad taste’ which is misguided.
    Josh

  103. gman

    I’m with Mark (#97). Sony’s PostPet is/was pretty huge. They even sold special post pet PDAs in 98-99. PostPet is still going and is built into a few Sony cell phones in Japan even today.

    The short explantion is, You have a small room where you keep your “postpet”. When you need to send email your use your PostPet. He will take the mail to your friend (and appear in your friend’s PostPet’s room). There, the postpets not only exchange email but also personal info learned while play games with your postpet (like your favorite color). Later your postpet returns to computer, possibily with a response letter from your friend, presents and also various pieces of info that your pet will reveal over time like “Hey, did you know your friend has a crush on Jill?” and stuff like that.

    If Sony has been so hugely successful with this I certainly can’t look at 3dmail and think it’s the dumbest idea ever. I can look at it and think the style sucks ass.

    Mii mail by Nintendo (I’m making that up but still) seems like it would be hugely popular.

  104. Rick

    For once lack of Mac compatibility is not a problem to me!

  105. Andy Lee

    “LN

    July 18th, 2007 at 2:33 pm

    The thing I can’t work out is why people need to express an opinion about someone’s, (in this case Duncan’s), opinion.”

    So why do you need to express an opinion about people who express an opinion about Duncan’s opinion? In my opinion that’s equally pointless.

  106. Richard C. Mongler

    POOLS CLOSED

  107. mauricio portasio

    this is the sort of thing that makes me want to drop all this high-tech stuff and raise goats. it’s just too darn detached from reality to make any sense.

  108. Simian Redux

    Word on the street is that Lucas Films did the movie trailer for them, and it cost like 3 million bucks. Man, what I could do with that much money! And just for what, 60 seconds?

  109. Chimpy Collins

    @108 What’s detached from reality is a spreadsheet with one mail per line, which is what this definitely ISN’T. It’s sun, sand, beautiful water, beautiful people… for when you can’t be out in St. Tropez yourself.

    There’s something else that simulates life in this way, and it’s called Television, people. Get outta the 1940’s.

  110. mauricio portasio

    great idea. i should buy a tv set and get an upgrade to the 50’s. thanks, chimpy! in return, may i humbly recommend you a plane ticket to st. tropez?

  111. come on

    [quote]I think my 50 year old mom who can’t really use a computer would find this a cool and familiar way to answer mail.[/quote]

    How is this more similar to regular mail than email? There is a reason why email does not change - it works just fine as it is anything else is just plain weird.

  112. Abhishek Chatterjee

    gosh..
    tried downloading it.. however the biiig download me box on the home page is kindda useless. does not have a link associated.. seems its only three Dee :-D

  113. Nacene en Chine

    this guys probably worked hard, you shouldn’t be so harsh :o)

  114. Adrian

    I would say “where do you guys come up with this shite?”, but I love it when you do! Got me laughing again…

  115. hyperpsyched

    Would have been way cooler with William Shatner narrating…

  116. tofunny

    @ Bill Hartzer,
    Maybe the shark will throw it up if you want it back?

  117. Fabio

    “The 3D Mailbox client is Windows only with no plans for a Mac version”
    … thank God I have a Mac!

  118. Simon Says

    If we don’t kill this thing RIGHT NOW, all future email programs will look like this. Keep on kicking, mates! Clockwork Orange style! :-|

  119. Daniel

    There will be new “levels” that will be added to it in due time (one being an airport terminal where your e-mails are represented by planes landing on the tarmac) I would be very interested giving this program a try.

    This program will cater to a particular target audience, so shouldn’t be criticized purely on not liking the idea, that’s more personal. I would be criticizing such things such as weather the loading times of the program is worth the experience of getting e-mails through this program.

  120. Marko

    The girl in teh beginning isnt naked, pause it when it shows her swimming backwards. its just a yellow bikini. and. this looks so good, but so bad at the same time. ITS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! a video game and email. couldnt ask for more… … is he serious? youll never know..