How Google Wave could work for businesses

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Twilio then phones up that person’s mobile or landline and the conversation is both transcribed as text and turned into an audio sound file - including MP3, Wav and AIFF formats - to which others can listen.

This technology opens up all sorts of CRM possibilities but potentially has some security and data protection implications. Inevitably, some conversations are private and confidential and not everyone will want them posted on the web. Twilibo tries to avoid this by ensuring each party has the chance to opt out of having the call recorded and transcribed, and only making a wave public if requested.

That said, Twilibot has two major limitations: it’s currently limited to 10 digit US or Canadian numbers and the app itself transforms phone numbers into URLs which could be susceptible to unauthorised access.

Could Wave replace Sharepoint Services?

Microsoft’s collaboration tool SharePoint Services 3.0 offers many of the same features as Google Wave but operates entirely differently, making use of SQL Server technology to store content and relying on Microsoft’s .NET and Sharepoint server framework.

Certainly Google Wave is attractive in being free and not incurring the same startup or installation costs, but while you don’t need the same SQL/.NET/Windows Server skillsets within your organisation to administer Wave, any development will simply mean relying on another set of IT skills in terms of working with XML, JavaScript and APIs.

For now, SharePoint Services still has the edge thanks to its Microsoft Office integration and content control features such as permissions, version history, document check-in, and approval workflows. But it’s quite possible an open source Google Wave could soon catch up.

What Business Apps will be available in Wave?

There are a number of robot business apps that will be available in Wave including Stocky, an app which allows you to type symbols like the dollar sign into a wave to get real time stock price data.

There’s also Rosy, a built-in tool which works as you type both to translate instant messages written in foreign languages in real time and offers suggestions when typing in a foreign language to a business contact with support for up to 40 languages.

While still very simplistic, Bidder is a real-time auction tool displaying the current highest bid, and allowing you to enter your own bid for a product. In future, businesses may build product sales waves including video, images and documents associated with an item for sale combined with a similar auction bid or buy it now facility.

Time to sign up?

Google Wave shows real potential as a business tool with an ever-growing number of apps which could prove very viable in the world of work.

Just a week ago, Silicon Valley phone company Ribbit announced Conference, a wave extension that enables real-time audio collaboration between participants in a wave conference where people can talk as well as type simultaneously.

Chief executive Ted Griggs said: “The real promise of internet telephony lies in making voice a programmable feature - one that can be easily added to web pages, widgets, online communities and applications.”

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