Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) has decided to shutter its Lively online virtual world at the end of the year, saying it wants "to ensure that we prioritize our resources and focus more on our core search, ads and apps business."

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) has introduced a new free virtual world application, "Lively," which -- much like similar services such as "Second Life" -- allows users to create and accessorize avatars and buildings within the virtual environment.