Google Wave – A Review

After exciting official preview video of Google’s upcoming service Google wave I really wanted to check out Google Wave, which is currently under test and has not been publicly launched by Google.

I knocked my friends asking for any Google wave invitation and finally i got it. I was sort of excited hence I quickly signed up. Like all other services, my Google Account was used to sign up,  meaning that Google Wave fetched all my data from my Google account – so it was smooth process.

However, I found nothing interesting or maybe i was over expecting after watching the exciting  boom boom of Google wave in TV channels, over internet and in magazines. Rather I would say that all that hype is created by those who haven’t used Google Wave yet, otherwise…

Google wave is not an alternative to Facebook, Orkut or any other popular social network. Yes Google wave is next generation social networking thing but fun and helpful for business users, work-groups and for conferences. A very fast funfair place while you can manage your work with others with ease. By sharing documents, messages, videos,web searches and a lot more. Wave has both live and offline messaging facility.

If you ask for features, some of them are as following

Features

  • Real-time: In most instances, you can see what someone else is typing, character-by-character.
  • Embeddability: Waves can be embedded on any blog or website.
  • Applications and Extensions: Just like a Facebook application developers can build their own apps within waves. Such applications can be anything from bots to complex real-time games.
  • Open source: The Google Wave code will be open source, to foster innovation and adoption amongst developers.
  • Playback: You can playback any part of the wave to see what was said.
  • Natural language: Google Wave can autocorrect your spelling, even going as far as knowing the difference between similar words, like “been” and “bean.” It can also auto-translate on-the-fly.
  • Drag-and-drop file sharing: No attachments; just drag your file and drop it inside Google Wave and everyone will have access.

I am not sure why a General Pakistani user should sign up at Google Wave, but definitely, its demand may arise with time – and people may start rushing towards Google Wave.

Are you interested in Google wave? Sadly I did not get any invitation to share with others. And I came to know that Google wave will not be invitation based like Gmail. Existing Google wave users can nominate their friends to Google and then Google will send them invitations. This nomination process is not launched yet by Google because still there are many bugs in application and features are disabled due to development. However below are some screenshots and video of Google wave which you may want to watch.

A clean, fast loading wave start page

Screenshot3

A running welcome wave in my Inbox by Google

Screenshot4

Writing a new Wave

Screenshot-11

Screenshot-21

Currently available Wave option: While writing a wave you can leave private message too for someone in the Wave which other Wave participants will not be able to see.

Screenshot-41

Quick and fun to reply a Wave

Screenshot-51

Reply anywhere not only at the end of the wave, also can edit message any-time. But editing record is saved.

Screenshot-61

As I said record is saved of editing and messages, you can playback replay of the Wave.

Screenshot-71

More coming, Wave is still under development, even settings are disabled.

Also watch this long video by Google

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ[/youtube]


  • Dear Amir, I would like to add to your review. There is a misconception in many minds about the “hype” around Google Wave. A lot of people are underwhelmed, just like your experience, and are left wondering why is it not the next Facebook, Orkut or any other social media of their choice.

    In fact, Google Wave is not the replacement for Facebook or Orkut. Google Wave is the new email client. It was developed with the thinking that the current email is decades old. What would email be if it was developed with current technologies in mind.

    You are right to point out that this is really a collaborative tool to get things done. The real value of Google Wave is recognized when one uses it with other Google Wave users.

    I hope this comment will help in calming nervous nerves when a new Google Wave account is created.

    • Agreed. Google wave is not launched to compete with facebook. both have different functions and objectives. Google wave is more for professional use and for those who want to communicate more effeciently. Facebook is just a social networking and nothing else.

      I like the idea behind Google Wave and waiting to get invitation from google. But over all Google is making changes in the web world and others are only following it. In mobile world also, Android is catching pace and will be second operating system for mobiles by maximum 2012. If wana enjoy Android then wait for HTC Hero or Motorola Droid.

      • Luckily, I get Google Wave access i.e. given by Google company itself. I feel very lucky to get it in just few days. May be because I am a heavy user of google services and google team may be knowing this fact. Thanks to GOOGLE TEAM.

        I wish to be part of such innovative team to facilitate users of Google.

  • @ Adnan: Favouring u, I wud say that it is the first social networking group that is featuring every thing under one roof…..even the file sharing is there in google wave! it may replace FB, orkut, 4shared after a few months!

  • Just a few cents from my side.

    Well… The problem here is, that some of us are trying to use Wave as a Chat or IM, which it is not actually!

    It is an online collaboration software and we can not compare facebook or twitter with it as it is way different from what they provide. We need to grasp the concept of what waves are what are their prospective usages.

    One example of good usage can be a team having 5 members (1 in Pakistan, 2 in UK, and 2 in Germany) sharing wave to make a draft of online magazine.

    Another can be a simple forum type of things that you get once again under the same platform ‘wave’.

    Another example can be a poll have to be conducted among some set of users etc. etc.

    We have to think about it as a collaboration software and not a chat or social networking kind of thing.

    btw: Have someone tried out the private conversations with some participants of a wave? Its awesome!

  • well what i conclude this is something we all have been using for our communication in 2010.

    i personally feel pain when i need to keep track all email conversation but it will make life easier

  • I got 7 invitations, by using invitations I can nominate people to Google to send them invitations and I have Nominated @Razi Ejaz @Kashif Mehmood @Imran Khan @Fiaz skt @AliJan @Sarfraz Ahmed @Goldenshakehand

    Above people have been nominated by me. My invitations have finished now. Lets see when Google will send invitation to the above people :)

  • sacha kaka ouper walay comments menay likhay thay wo ghalti se app ka nama likha giya :((


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >