Written by Jessica Ardrey<\/p>\n
Since its announcement in May, Google Wave has stirred up a lot of excitement in the technological sphere. The corporation’s newest baby, Google Wave, is an online real-time communication and collaboration tool.<\/p>\n
Wave is the brainchild of Sydney Google office technician Jens Rasmussen. Along with his brother Lars, Rasmussen began mapping out his ideas for Google Wave in early 2003.<\/p>\n
Wave was put on the back burner while the brothers began building what eventually became Google Maps. Wave was eventually brought back into focus in 2007 and launched this September.<\/p>\n
The hype surrounding Google Wave had people scrambling for a way into the invitation-only platform. Praise that the product was the latest and greatest fostered claims that Wave would profoundly change the way we communicate online, and eventually do away with classic e-mail altogether.<\/p>\n
“Anything that Google comes out with seems to create a lot of hype,” Harding student Travis Bond said. “Gmail, the Android phone, Google Talk, Google Voice … It’s just a huge company with a lot of influence behind its name.”<\/p>\n
So what is Google Wave, and why is everyone making such a big deal about it?<\/p>\n
In its most basic form, it is a combination of e-mail and instant messaging, but with more functionality. Wave takes the best features of each and combines them into a single setting. It has components like the ability to drag and drop photos from your desktop into the conversation.<\/p>\n
As the name implies, the program works in waves. Google defines them in three statements, the first describing a wave as “equal parts conversation and document.”<\/p>\n
Each wave allows text, videos, photos, maps and other accessories. A wave is also shared between participants, who can comment and reply anywhere in the message or even edit it in real-time, almost like a live Wiki.<\/p>\n
The last characteristic is that a wave is live. A user can see what another user is typing as he or she types it, allowing faster and more realistic communication.<\/p>\n
After a few weeks, Bond approves of the platform. “Its best aspect is the user’s ability to see real-time conversation and typing,” Bond said.<\/p>\n
In addition to real-time traits, Wave also has an array of downloadable applications called “gadgets.” These extensions range from games of chess and weather programs to gadgets made specifically for business waves.<\/p>\n
“Robots” are another new feature. Robots act as contacts and, when added to a wave, perform certain tasks.<\/p>\n
The Twitter robot, named Tweety, allows the user to update his or her Twitter account. Rosetta Stone also has its own robot, aptly named Rosy Etta.<\/p>\n
When added to a wave, Rosy will translate the text from whatever language the first user speaks into whatever language the second user speaks, and Rosy does on its own and in real-time.<\/p>\n
However, in its beta version, Wave still has some glitches as well as some hurdles to overcome.<\/p>\n
One problem is that not everybody has a Google account. Where e-mail allows messaging no matter where the account is held, Wave is for Google users only.<\/p>\n
Other obstacles include a lack of an obvious spotlight pointing out who made which changes. In multiple-user waves, new messages (called “blips”) directed toward a specific user also lack emphasis.<\/p>\n
Despite its shortcomings, on which developers are still working, most of Google Wave’s reviews are very positive. The one thing that is necessary for Wave to succeed is people.<\/p>\n
“The only thing that makes Google Wave awesome is the community, and without a lot of people, you just sit at a blank screen,” Bond said.<\/p>\n
Whether the majority of e-mail users will switch to Wave is still up in the air. In the past, Google has introduced some platforms that appear in a blaze of glory, but quietly die out.<\/p>\n
For now, however, its outlook is nothing less than enthusiastic, so for Google’s sake, let’s hope this Wave isn’t washed up.<\/p>\n
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