Google Wave

So last week in class we discussed Web 2.0. I believe the technology behind Google Wave will eventually be considered Web 3.0. My information comes from a 80 minute presentation Google provided during their annual summit. If you want to watch it, I have included it at the bottom of this post. Underneath the photos for each topic you can find a time note of where in the video you can find the relevant topic. I'll highlight the important aspects of Wave and why I think it is the foundation for Web 3.0.

First of all, what Google Wave is.

Source:techpp.com

Google Wave is an API that enables real time communication between two end users with technologies that on the surface seem very similar to AJAX. The web browser actively communicates with the server without having to reload the page. However, one significant difference from AJAX is that this active communication doesn't simply exist between a browser and server, the connection can be linked between several users, other web pages, and other API's. Lets take a look at a few examples:

Ex. 1 - Email.

Source:www.daniellemorrill.com. Video: Minute 9

Wave merges instant messenger with email and adds some functions similar to wall posts on Facebook. For example, an email in Wave appears similar to an instant message, with both parties responses posted in chronological order. Users can also go back and comment in previous emails wherever they choose, a bit like facebook. All of this communication takes place live and you can view someone typing their message word for word. Therefore, instead of only one party typing at a time, Wave makes online communication more like real world/face-to-face communication. The image above is an example of how this communication works.

Ex 2. - Mobile

Source:phandroid.com. Video: Minute 25

Wave incorporates this live communication with mobile phones. During their presentation, an Android and iPhone actively participated with the Wave running on a laptop computer. With Wave, mobile phones will have far more functionality then ever before. Note: The video for this would have worked much better if they had an internet connection on their phone :-)

Ex. 3 - Interacting with API's

Source:mangochico.com. Video: Minute 72

Finally, one of my favorite uses of Wave is with a text translator. Google calls the API 'Rosey'. Rosey works in your live chat and actively translates your text. In the example from their presentation, a French worker communicates with an American worker while both type in their native languages. Rosey translates both users messages and neither one has to worry about switching back-and-forth between a translation site and their chat window. This feature is truly awesome and I recommend you watch the video to check it out.

The video


So what does this have to do with Web 3.0? Well Web 2.0 enabled users to collaborate with one-another and to control the content on websites. Wave takes this a level further, opening new channels of communication and enabling communication at entirely new speeds. The examples Google provides are simply what they have created through development. Their goal was to create the technology and infrastructure for Wave and have developers create the applications, yet another example built off of Web 2.0 theories. Once developers get their hands on the API's, I think we will see a real revolution in the way websites interact with their users.

Note: If you get the gist of what Wave is from this post and want to see more awesome features of Wave, fast forward to minute 49 of the youtube clip and watch the last half hour.