Google Wave sends 100,000 invites Wednesday. Two, please.
Why do we suddenly feel like we're in that scene from the second "Toy Story" movie, where the toy aliens are worshiping the giant claw from above, hoping to be "chosen"?
It's a bit silly, but that's how we felt when we read on the official Google blog that its Wave collaboration tool would be welcoming more users starting tomorrow.
As we've noted before, the official word on Google Wave is "What email would look like if it were developed today." Indeed, Wave promises to go way beyond the "compose-and-send" protocol we're so used to, enabling instant collaboration across long distances using shared spaces and tools, all based in a browser, not installed software.
While the initial wave of enthusiasm (heh, get it?) has been overwhelming, the project isn't without its skeptics. PC World's Tony Bradley is one of them. He writes:
Google Wave may have too many moving parts. Many users have complained that Facebook is too complex and cumbersome to effectively allow them to share and communicate. That is part of the reason Facebook developed Facebook Lite. A platform that includes everything plus two kitchen sinks is nice on one level, but if its too complicated for novice users to grasp and use easily it may never catch on.
It's a fair point. Many of the users that made Facebook the success it is today started using the site before linked status updates, pages, events, chat, and, yes, mafia wars were around. Would the site see the same level of acceptance if it launched with the same myriad features in place? Doubtful.
That could be why Google is taking such pains to work out the kinks with Wave before releasing it to the world – it's such an ambitious idea that it needs to be scalable before it can be accessible to the average user.
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Zipcar parks its iPhone app – finally
It allows users to find nearby cars, make reservations, and unlock a reserved car’s doors from the device’s touchscreen. Check it out.
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Are you on Twitter? Have a Google Wave invitation to give away? We're @CSMHorizonsBlog if you're feeling generous.
