Battletech Live and Google Wave

I spotted a news article that talked about Google’s new take on email, a project called Google Wave.  The idea is to extend email and instant messaging in new ways.  They say, it’s what email would be if it were invented today.  While I can’t say that Battletech Live is nearly as ambitious as Goggle Wave, I do find it interesting that I’m using a few of the same ideas.  My plan, first and foremost is for Battletech Live to be the game itself, but also be supported by a communications element.  That element is to be a combination email/IM with voice chat/forum/calendar system.  While Battletech Live is still in it’s infancy, I’m thinking of ways to take the four communications elements and make them more into a single fluid form.

Parts of Google Wave include features already found in gmail.  The upper left is occupied by a navigation panel that includes a number of standard items such as an inbox, trash can and custom folders, with a contact list directly below it.  These are both fluid panels, so items can come and go.  To the right, is a panel that looks like a gmail inbox with a few differences.  Included are pictures of the people who are included in the post.  I won’t go into all of the details of Wave, but you can read about it for yourself:  http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-drips-with-ambition-can-it-fulfill-googles-grand-web-vision/