Second Life developer Linden Lab intends to launch a beta for Second Life instant messaging (SLim) client through its First Look viewer, according to a report from Second Life news site SLNN.

Speaking at a recent presentation, Linden Lab's vice president of Platform and Technology Development Joe Miller explained SLim: "[It's] a very thin client that is designed for you to stay in both voice and text contact with your friends list. If you want to participate in a meeting but can’t actually run the SL app to do it, you’ll be able to do that with our thin voice communication client. It will be in First Look in a couple of weeks."

Users will be able to install the instant messaging client on even older machines that cannot run Second Life or on computers that cannot prohibited from accessing the virtual world due to firewalls.

Miller also revealed other upcoming features currently under development, such as the ability for avatars to receive and answer outside phone calls within Second Life: “This will work two ways: you’ll be able to sign up for an access number that will give people who are outside of SL (perhaps on a cell phone) the ability to reach you in-world."

He continued: "The other capability is the ability to associate a standard telephone number – PSTN number – with a group, and that number can be used by a number of folks to join a group conversation for the purpose of meeting from outside of SL as well.”

In addition, he added that an opt-in voice mail feature is in the works, which enables people to leave voice mail messages for users if they are not in-world. Users will be able to set it so that they can receive the voice message via e-mail, as well.