Welcome To Bridge
Bridge is a cloud-based multi-service HUD. It allows you to access web-based services from within virtual environments (such as Second Life, Sansar, In-World, OpenSim, etc.) and MMOs (such as World of Warcraft) by connecting these accounts through a Google account. You can also install custom apps (we call them 'plugins') to interact with specific environments.Getting Started
Here in Second Life, you can pickup a Bridge device at Core Hound's store. Upon delivery, you should receive instructions for loading your device. Attach Bridge to the 'Top' of your HUD. You should see two things appear: the Bridge GUI which looks like a phone or some other smart device; and an Icon that displays the Core Hound logo.
Icon
The Icon is used to control Bridge's location on your HUD. By clicking the Icon you can toggle the phone between the far left of your screen and off-screen. If you click and hold the icon for over 3 seconds it should restart/reset Bridge to its default display settings. This will not delete or uninstall any apps or reset any GUI settings.
GUI
The GUI allows you to control the various features of your phone. From here you can navigate your phone in much the same way as conventional smart devices. At the top is the notification area (left), status area (middle), and time (right). At the bottom is the navigation area where you can backup ◁; return to the home screen ◯; or open the active app menu ⃞. Above that are the system icons where you can change settings, set alarms, open the Core Store to install more apps, view landmarks/teleport, and access the help page. Above these icons are 3 or more dots; these dots allow you to toggle between screens (called pages) to reveal more apps and widgets. Finally, the bulk of the GUI is made up of these pages and app icons.
Apps & Plugins
Bridge hosts a number of internal apps (apps that regulate the system), external apps (apps owned and maintained by third parties such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, SoundCloud as well as a host of Google services and much more) and helpful custom plugins that are designed to assist you in your current environment (such as our Venue Management Assistant).
To open an app or plugin, click its icon. Internal apps open more quickly, while plugins can be slowed by poor client performance. Apps will open in one of two sizes: basic - the same size as the primary GUI; and wide - approximately 3x as wide as the GUI.
Managing Active Apps
Active apps can be viewed in the Active App menu (bottom right icon of the main GUI). From here, you can see a list of non-system apps that you have opened (in the form of snippets). The system can only support a certain number of apps (you can set the maximum number of apps in the system Settings app). When the maximum number of apps is reached, and you attempt to open another app, the earliest app to have been opened is closed to make room for the newly opened app. You can prevent certain apps from being closed by 'pinning' them - an option found in the Active App menu. You can also close apps that you are no-longer using by clicking the X in the top right corner of the app's snippet.
Managing Passwords
Some third-party apps (such as Facebook, Pinterest, etc.) require you to login. When you login, your password is stored by your client/viewer (Firestorm, for example), not by Bridge or the prims that make-up the object. This means two things: first, Core Hound and Bridge never get access to your secure content or login information; second, you are, in a sense, logging in to all prims. So if you place another prim in your HUD and load the same site up, your client/viewer may automatically log you in to that prim; it could even remember your login information in non-HUD prims so that you can login without re-entering your information. Contact your client/viewer or Linden Labs for more information on how these passwords are managed.
Plugins
Plugins allow your Bridge device to reach into your environment and utilize scripts just like other HUDs or in-world objects. For example, our Venue Management Assistant allow users to kick (eject), ban, send-home, greet, and rate guests on parcels where they have permissions to do so. Another app allows users (geared towards live performers) to collect guest data during their performances so they can see their audience size as well as who shows up more than once. Future plugins will allow users to: create profiles that help them meet people with shared interests by scanning the area around them for other compatible profiles; bring up a list of another avatar's non-HUD attachments to see where they can purchase the same skin, clothes, and accessories; rate public areas such as stores, performance venues, art galleries, etc. and share them on social media.