So by now, everyone who follows technology has at least heard of Google Wave. And if you haven’t, you need to crawl out from under that rock and take a peek at what is going on, because this is big.

Google Wave, in simplest terms, is supposed to be the second iteration of email. It’s a next-generation communications technology that takes all the best things about all the different ways we communicate, and puts them into one tool. It works under the assumption that you don’t need to go to different places or services to send email, use IM, collaborate on documents, or share files or photos. It also changes how we think of email as an object.

Email was invented 40 years ago. It mimics snail mail, in that you write your message, and you send it off where it needs to go. Your recipient can then take that message and reply to it, forward it, or whatever. And this works. It’s worked for a long time. But in today’s world, we often have to communicate on a larger spectrum. Maybe you need to CC your boss on the email, or keep someone else up to date on what’s been said. And if you’re not careful about replying properly, different forks of the messages can be created, and people end up on different pages, and it becomes a mess (which is described really well in the video below).

Google Wave starts out with the concept of a shared conversation. You create a wave, and then you add people to it. A wave is one shared document that everyone has access to. There’s only one copy, so everyone stays up to date. And if you add more people later on, they can play back the whole wave from the very first message, to see how the conversation evolved, and then add their own insight.

I am very excited about getting an opportunity to use Google Wave, and I hope you are too. If you haven’t yet, I strongly recommend checking out the developer preview video. It’s 80 minutes long, so set aside some time to get through it. If you just can’t sit still that long, or would like just a quick overview of what Wave is, and how it’s different from email, check out the two-minute video below.

By far, the most important part of Google Wave, is that it is an open-sourced protocol. Google won’t be the only ones giving people wave accounts, once this picks up. Just like email is today, you will have a choice in your provider, and everyone will be able to communicate together.

Here’s to a bright future of communication!

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to make a quick post to let people know, that just because the regular audio podcast version of the Smackdown has come to an end, it’s not the absolute end of the PC/Mac Smackdown. As Cal has said a few times already, this blog will remain up and running for the regulars to post and for all of you to comment on.

I’m also having discussions with Cal about just where we can go from here. I’m playing with the idea of creating a YouTube channel. We could also set up a Smackdown Forum?

Why don’t you tell us what you think? What do you think we should do? What would you like to see? Do you have any brilliant ideas? Leave them in the comment section below.

The podcast may be finished, but the Smackdown lives on!

With the next posting I will send out one last message and then that is it. I do so want this show to continue but part of wisdom is somtimes knowing when to call it quits. I am more certain than ever that my time is now.
So with that, thank you all for the great times, the laughter, the banter. I am a better person for knowing all of you and producing content for you. These three years have been fantastic. You are truly the best fans I will ever have.

So enjoy yourselves. I will keep the blog going for our volunteers to post as they like.
Take care of yourselves, take care of each other.
Your smackman,

Cal

This week as you all know (unless you have been under a rock someplace) that the new Mac OS X 10.6 has come out. Now with it’s shelf life less than a week old, there are already rumblings of an update to 10.6.1! From what I have uncovered so far, that this latest update has been due to the multitude if program incompatibilities and on some systems a dreaded Spinning Beach Ball Of Death (SBBOD)!  One thing that Apple has been known for is pressing forward with their operating systems to keep bringing us closer the point of something that only really Apple knows for sure where it want to bring it’s users to their way of thinking or way using technology around us.  Recently, I also uncovered that with this latest update, according to someone that that I spoke with that works with Apple, during the install of 10.6 should you have to force the install to restart by rebooting or suffer a power outage, it will have a better chance of picking up and getting messed up during this upgrade.  I have also been hearing and from my own personal experiences with the “new OS” that a lot of the upgrades are so far under the hood that a lot of code will have to be rewritten to take advantage of this new system. Other than a few items, that have been “polished” there isn’t really too much new with this “update” from Apple. Is there a reason to rush out and get this latest update?  I would have to say no.  Was the price right for the amount of upgrades, perhaps, but by all accounts it isn’t a “new” OS but one that feels more like a service pack.

What are your thoughts on the latest “update” from Apple? Love it, hate it, or just waiting on the side for the fluff to settle?

Anyway, if you are or working in a store that sells technology, please at least KNOW what your talking about and if you don’t, please get someone that does or work in another part of the store. Like the TV’s or stereos!

8:30 CDT via UStream and WyldeRyde IRC.

Following the recent surge in criticism towards Apple’s business model, Mark and Brian will explore the issue of ‘openness’ in technology using the iPhone and Windows Mobile phone ecosystems as examples.

Packard will entertain us with a recent news story.