Google Wave is what e-mail would be were it invented today. Or at least, that's Google's spin on Wave.

Google Wave

is a new way to communicate with friends, family and co-workers in a truly real-time way. The service is in its early days but shows promise. The only way to get a Google Wave account is to receive an invitation from someone who's already been accepted into the Google Wave trial.

Google Wave is interesting for any one of a number of reasons. Unlike traditional email, you can add a person into a Wave at any point -- say when the conversation swings in such a way that you know a colleague who really should see what's happening to put her two-cents in the pot -- and he or she will see everything that's happened in the discussion thus far. No forwarding multiple emails. No wacky line breaks, just a clear record of the discussion to this point.

Rather than composing and sending a new message, Google Wave works because it allows you to create a

new discussion header

and get many people in on the chat. As you type, they see what you're saying. As they type, you see what they're saying. It's more like a real conversation than static email.

Let's see your e-mail inbox do this: Google Wave lets you share gadgets, videos, documents, directions, RSVP gadgets and more right into the body of a discussion. Gadgets function very much like an attachment in email but are much more powerful and collaborative.

Because discussions in Google Wave tend to take on a life of their own, you need a place to see everything that's happened in your Waves since you last logged in. Enter the Google Wave inbox, your one-stop shop for seeing what's new.

Unlike e-mail, with Google Wave people can see what you type as you type it. That flaming missive to your boss that feels good to write out but that you know should never be sent?

Google Wave

is not the venue. You can mark a Wave as private or set a Wave such that only certain people can see certain things, but be aware: this is not the static email you're used to.

Rather than forcing you into computer forensics, trying to figure who said what and when in an out of control e-mail chain, Google Wave has a handy playback function that lets you watch your Wave unfold in the order it unfolded. Hit the Playback button to see who said what and when and who responded to what and when. It's all very new Wave.

Google Talk integration with Gmail was our first hint that Google thinks IM and email go together like the cheese and rice... no, peanut butter and jelly, no... well. They go together well. In Google Wave, the next iteration of IM and email convergence is upon us. Introducing Ping in Google Wave.

Folders are so email circa 1990. All the cool kids are using labels and the really cool kids are using both virtual folders and labels to organize their inboxes. The Google Wave team has not let this go unnoticed; in Google Wave, you get both virtual folders and labels to make organizing your Wave inbox easy.

Like your e-mail inbox, your Google Wave stream will become cluttered with old and now irrelevant stuff without a solid organization strategy to keep it in check. In

Google Wave

you can easily

archive, star, hide and highlight Waves

based on how important they are.