Google Wave is what e-mail would “look like if it were invented today,” said Mark Hachman in PC Magazine. Google Wave is an open-source mash-up of Gmail and instant messaging that Google hopes will revolutionize online communication. And, judging by the first look provided Thursday at the Google I/O conference, that might be an understatement.
The developers at the conference say Google Wave took Google’s best online apps—not just e-mail and messaging—and “rolled them into one new collaboration and communication tool,” said Lisa Hoover in Computer World. But Google Wave won’t be “released into the wild” for a few months, which gives the company some time to convince consumers they need Wave in place of their faithful e-mail and messaging services.
It's certainly possible that Google Wave will "fall on its face," said in MG Siegler in TechCrunch. But there's no question "the potential reward is huge" if Google can get people to view this as a necessary part of their digital lives. Wave is "ambitious as hell—which we love," because "that's how great products are born."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocratFeature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlockFeature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
