Could Google Wave Redefine Email and Web Communication?

Google promised to deliver something spectacular on the second day of the Google I/O conference, and they did not disappoint. Google has just announced Google Wave, a new in-browser communication and collaboration tool that is already being hailed by some as the next evolution of email. Yes, Google Wave is potentially that disruptive.

Created by two of the guys behind Google Maps with a small team in Sydney, the concept behind Google Wave is to “unify” communication on the web. It’s a hybrid of email, web chat, IM, and project management software. It features the ability to replay conversations because it records the entire sequence of communication, character by character. Because of this, discussions are also live in Google Wave: you will see your friend’s type character-by-character.

The key to it all is the faster line of communication. Attaching documents, like you do in email, is unnecessary in Google Wave. Real-time conversations and collaboration make it an ideal tool for business teams as well. Imagine an entire office having Google Wave open to quickly share and receive files. It combines some of people’s favorite aspects of many different web communication tools.

I suddenly started to day dream on how Google Wave could solve many of my web development issues. Google Wave could potentially allow a team to collaborate with clients directly and in real-time during the User Acceptance Testing phase in any web development project. If we could have the ability to see proposed changes in real-time and apply the edits as the client sees it happens, we could save valuable time and money.

Is Google Wave the Wave of the Future?

Google Wave aims to be the future of email Gmail, IM, and Docs all rolled into one. Email has been around for about 40 years now. In fact, it pre-dates the internet by good few years and even the fanciest Live Mail or MobileMe system in the world still closely resembles the system put in place all those years ago. So if it ain t broke, don t fix, right? Err, wrong. Google reckons that email resembles older, outdated forms of communication far too closely. Email is basically an electronic representation of how the postal service works, albeit faster, cheaper and considerably less likely to get left in the back of warehouse somewhere. So the internet monster is working on Google Wave, a rethink of the whole email idea.

Is Google Wave the Wave of the Future?

While I have not been invited to participate in Wave, I have been following their progress. A number of folks have posted their impressions of Wave for others to see. The question is of this is really the next evolution of communications. On one hand, it is clearly a new way of thinking about conversations and the dialog between participates. However, it seems to lack any capability to support intimate conversations. As a public or non-intimate forum, it appears to do a fine job. I do question the value of seeing others type their responses in real time. I think this would be an unnecessary burden on the communications network for minimal value. On the other hand, I might change my mind if they would invite me in to the trial!!!!

During the Google I/O keynote, Google’s VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra , laid out a grand vision for the direction Google sees the web heading towards with the move to the HTML 5 standard. While we’re not there yet, the entire Google Wave Drips With Ambition. A New Communication dawn is upon us

Android Phone Fans — Google Wave and Google Gadgets you can play embeddable games like Sudoku in a wave: So how does this fit into Android? Well… it works on Mobile phones… like Google Android phones… and they demo Google Wave on an Android device and iPhone. Holy awesomeness and world-about-to-be-taken-overness! Right now you’re probably asking: “Where do I sign up?” Good question… and I’ve got the answer: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignup/ Google Wave is looking pretty crazy.

Could Google WAVE goodbye to twitter?

The Google Maps team, lead by Lars and Jens Rasmussen, have developed an application to allow people to communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps and other tools, all within a standard browser. I think that allot of twitter fans could leave "the fail away" because of Google Wave. This one it looks to be one of the best web based app build in the last years. Probably will be a Facebook killer too.

Who will ride Google's Wave?

Twitter/Facebook on steroids. I can certainly see uses for it in project management, events organization, news sharing and decision making in a crisis situation and so on. If people make apps for it too then who knows what else?

As you already know, Google released a waterfall of 100,000 invites to the Google Wave preview over the last day or so, giving bleeding-edge early adopter and information addicts a new playground to exchange conversations in real time. After months of hibernation and anticipation, Wave’s arrival has everyone’s tongues wagging, as we all get an early look into Google’s plans to redefine messaging; delivering a real-time platform that includes rich media and extensibility through gadgets.

Since Wave’s introduction earlier this year, I have seen a number of differing ways the product has been described. From a new development platform to a suite for business collaboration or an (insert popular social service name here) killer, the guesses have ranged far and wide. Interestingly, however, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lars Rasmussen defined Wave as “a modern version of e-mail”, adding that e-mail is “an old-fashioned technology”. So it makes the most sense, at this point, to look at the Google Wave preview as a potential replacement or enhancement to today’s e-mail systems, notably Gmail.

Who's excited for Google Wave?

I am quite excited about Google Wave. I believe that the convergence in a web-based platform of mail, chat, blogs, social networking and collaboration is showing what is the beginning of Web 3.0 initiatives.

I am very much looking forward to Google Wave. One of the less discussed aspects that are particularly appealing to me is the potential for this to create a ubiquitous web identity.