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Is it Outlook or Google Wave?
by Allen Stern on May 29th, 2009
Yesterday for a brief moment, lots of tech bloggers removed the twitter auto-post function and replaced it with excitement over the Google Wave announcement. I’ve read posts that say Google Wave will replace the Web as we know it and then I read posts that say nearly the opposite. I am just wondering, did anyone else immediately think that Google Wave looks nearly identical to Microsoft Outlook?
For reference, the main blue color in Outlook is #e3efff and in Google Wave the main blue color is #c9e2fc. Google Wave has pretty pictures too. I think if you add the Xobni plugin into Outlook, the screenshots get even closer.
Exhibit #1 – Outlook
Exhibit #2 – Google Wave
Exhibit #3 – Microsoft Outlook with Xobni
damn those are close
Maybe if outlook could thread messages with their replies properly… it could show them in a single line, and even pull in avatars now that it’s merged with Messenger/Communicator … but since it can’t, I think the whole world is ready to try replacement email clients ;-)
[...] Why Google Wave Matters Published May 29, 2009 collaboration , communication , google , wave 0 Comments Lots of discussion around the web about Google Wave. One common meme floating around dismisses it as an Outlook clone. [...]
heh, you build a strong case.
My first impression was that it’s too much. imo, there’s a point where programmers go over a cliff and build something for them, not the general public…and this (imo) has gone over that cliff. My dad can barely use Outlook. No way would he’ll be able to use this.
They need an option for a “simple” interface. And maybe take note of how Apple and Twitter are doing things.
…unless, of course, their intended audience IS first adopter technophiles. Is it?
All I can add here is that Google steals the show from Microsoft 100 million dollar search engine Bing :)
They’re both just blue, they look nothing alike.
Um. well for one thing Wave is on a web page.
Seriously…you see a resemblance? I suggest you not stare at a screen shot and instead watch the demo video. The real Wave story is dynamic; you won’t get it from a screenshot.
I bet Dean’s father could use Gmail. This interface is very Gmail-like (not surprising given that they are both built with GWT) .
It is like saying a blue Ferrari and a Smurf are the same thing because they are the same color and have 4 things hanging off their body.
Would it be the same smurf if it was papa smurf or smurfette?
This is a paradigm shift. They are nothing alike, this is re-inventing communication from scratch.