google wave
Technology Of The Noughties: Cloud Computing
December 31, 2009
Cast your minds back to the beginning of the decade… Broadband was making its first appearance in the technology world and all our applications were installed locally on a hard drive in our computer. Fast forward nine years, and we still have a lot of local applications, but with fast internet connections, having your local applications with you all the time is no longer a necessity, in fact the vast majority of applications on your hard drive right now probably have some sort of cloud equivalent…
In my opinion Google has, and continues to, make major breakthroughs in cloud computing. If you were working on a presentation or important document on your computer ten years ago but forgot to take it with you to work on the crucial day, there wouldn’t be a lot you could do about it…
Continue reading »Google Wave: How To Add Extensions (Gadgets & Robots)
November 7, 2009
Google Wave works well as standalone system for chat, file sharing and so on. However, it also gives you the option to add extensions which enhance your experience and the range of functions it can perform. Extensions can be thought of as similar to Facebook applications; just as you can install apps to customise the way you use Facebook, you can add extensions to personalise the way you use Google Wave.
Extensions come in two varieties: gadgets and robots. Gadgets are the most similar to Facebook apps, you install them and they run as part of a wave (thread). To give an example: you can install the Sudoku gadget, and use it to play against a group of friends. Robots are more similar to the bots you see on Twitter, but far more sophisticated because they behave as kind of artificially intelligent participant in a wave. The best example is the Twitter robot, Tweety, which can be used to update your Twitter status and also to follow tweets from other users.
Continue reading »Google Wave: How To Create, Send, Reply & Add Video
November 1, 2009
You’ve signed up with Google Wave, logged in and suddenly you’re faced with an interface that isn’t particularly intuitive. The features are quite simple to use, but do require a bit of a learning curve. So, if you’re scratching your head trying to figure out how to send your first wave (message), here’s how, and to make it even more useful, I’ll also tell you how to embed a YouTube video into it.
How To Create A New Wave
At the top of the centre panel you’ll see a button marked ‘New Wave’. (There’s is also a link in the panel on the right but that will only be visible if you don’t have any waves open.) Click the button and an input box will open up on the right.
Continue reading »The Google Wave Rave – A Glorified Chat Client?
October 31, 2009
A few months back, Zath brought you news of Google’s new communication toy, Google Wave. I was lucky enough to be sent an invite to get a chance to play with it and it definitely is a fun toy to play with. It sure does invite a brand new way of communicating with the masses and looks like it should do well when released and all your friends have it too. But, how useful is it really?
Well, let’s take a look.
Continue reading »Google Wave Review (Early Beta)
October 29, 2009
I was lucky enough to get chance to join in the beta-testing of Google’s new much awaited product Google Wave. If you’ve heard about it – it’s hard to miss, the technology blogs have long anticipated it – and are wondering what all the fuss is about, read on.
What is it?
A real time communication platform; think Facebook’s live feed, but with far more bells and whistles. Google Wave can be used as a messaging system, as a collaboration tool for work projects, as a way to share and comment on photos and videos, or as a wiki with shared data being editable by anyone who wants to contribute. A range of apps and gadgets offer more options, such as: collaborative maps and a Twitter tool.
Continue reading »Google Wave – Email of the Future?
June 6, 2009
Google have always tried to be more than just a search engine, and things like Google Earth and Street View are good examples of this. They have even delved into the world of email with the now very popular Google Mail (which is getting ever more users), and it is an evolution of that the Google’s ‘next big thing’ is centred on.
Described by Google as “the email of the future” at the Google I/O conference where it was first announced, Google Wave is an attempt to bring online communication together – think of a combination of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and G-mail and you get the general idea. But what is it that will make this different than all those things we already have? Let’s have a look!
Continue reading »
