Wave Hello to Google Wave

A relatively few number of people have heard of Google’s newest brainchild, Google Wave. Google Wave is the novel and innovative attempt to revolutionize internet communication. It is designed, specifically, to provide a basis for the merging of email, instant messaging, wikis, and collaborative networking.
Announced in May earlier this year, Google has kept advertising for this product to simple word of mouth, much as it did during the months preceding the release of the corporations widely popular email service, Gmail. On November 29, Google granted most of the Google Wave requests it received by September of 2009. I was included in this latest of invitations, and was allowed a firsthand look into what Google had to offer.
Google Wave’s interface greatly resembles that of Gmail, although its uses are slightly different. The program is designed to manage real time communications methods between users. It differs from other instant messaging systems in that text can be altered by any participant in the conversation at any time. Theory states that it is possible to use a history scroll bar to replay the progression of the conversation at a chosen speed, though this feature has apparently yet to be worked into the system. The inability to know if any past changes have been made seems to be a major drawback at this point in time. Furthermore, the real time typing aspects of communication tend to cause latency spikes, making conversation awkward and stressed at times.
Many question the usefulness of the Google Wave program, and rightly so. At first glance, it seems to provide little that is not already established in countless instant messaging. The real use in Google’s attempt at innovation appears to lie in its group planning and project management capabilities. However, although integrated maps and document editors have high potential, these seem to be the most underdeveloped aspects of the system. This raises yet another question of whether the Wave program could not simply be added as a feature to Gmail, as simple group planning seems to be little cause for a standalone release.
Google certainly has a significant amount of work to do if it is to gain popular support for its newest product. However, it is still reasonably early in the development stage. If Google is able to stick to its tremendous reputation, we should be seeing an excellent program ready for public release in 2010.