Mountain View, California — Almost a year has passed since Google unveiled Wave at Google I/O 2009, but its usage has been limited as it was available by invitation. But internet search leader Google on Wednesday opened to the world an innovative Wave communications platform that lets people chat and collaborate in real time, is now open to the public.
Google has been experimenting on Wave through an invitation-only beta mode for about eight months and has publicized its potential to turn email into a powerful tool for collaborative exchanges that ramp up productivity. But now, there is no longer a need to wait for invites as the invitation-only period has officially concluded.
At the Google I/O 2010 Developer Conference, Google announced that from this moment onwards, registration is open for Wave. Google also assured that Wave has undergone some much-needed changes.
“We are going to extensively make Wave available to everyone from today,” Google Wave team chief Lars Rasmussen said as the California-based Internet giant’ annual developers conference got underway in San Francisco.
Google Wave (Credit: Google)
Google debuted Wave as a new communication tool that seemed like a Swiss Army knife of sorts that blends e-mail, IM, document sharing, blogs, wikis and multimedia management, which is perfect for groups to collaborate on projects, daily tasks, and share information in real-time. The Google service brought a new social dimension when it arrived with much fanfare, but the service was eclipsed by Google Buzz.
At some instance, people began to question whether Wave would remain an actual product, debating that its use cases were not evident and that it could potentially cannibalize usage for existing Google products, like Gmail and Docs.
That doomsday scenario seems far away now, making Wave public could help regenerate its fortunes. Although Google is still sending the message that the product isn’t in final form by putting a Labs label on it, which gives Google the freedom to radically modify it going forward or even pull it off the market entirely.
“It is distinct from the invaluable response we have received that Wave is a great place to accomplish the task, in particular for teams working together on projects that involve lots of discussion and close coordination,” Google Wave product manager Stephanie Hannon said Wednesday in a blog post. “If you tried Google Wave out a while ago and found it not quite ready for real use, now is a good time to come back for a second try.”
Wave is now simplified to navigate unread messages, it is now speedier, has the option to remove participants, can embed on websites, and is far more stable. The infamous browser crashes, even in Google’s Chrome, have been addressed according to today’s announcement. Media attachment is being supported and developers will have a chance to incorporate a number of new services from companies like Salesforce.com. Google Apps account holders can now incorporate Wave into their Apps service.
Google Wave product manager Gregory D’Alesandre made his comment late last year that Wave will help “set free” workers from constraints of old-fashioned ways at firms.
With the Wave, email or instant messages blossom into shared online arenas where anyone in the exchange can edit documents, add digital content, or comment at any time.
“You can have 12 people interacting in a Wave at the same time without people talking over each other or stepping on each others’ toes,” D’Alesandre said.
“We really believe this is a better way to communicate; where technology is going,” he said.
People can sign up for Wave online at wave.google.com.
Take A Tour: Google Wave Returns.