Monday, October 26, 2009

Google Wave - Private Reply

A new feature in Google Wave is "Private reply"

You find the "Private reply" when you click on the upside down triangle icon next to the date, while viewing a Wave.



After selecting "Private reply", a new blip reply box appears. Notice the blue area above the reply entry box.



Now enter the reply.



After entered the reply, Press the 'Done' button. A contact list box will appear. Select the Contacts whom will be able to view the "Private reply".



Note: You need to be careful as you select from your contact list, as there is currently no way to remove a contact from a "Private reply".

After selecting the contacts whom may view the "Private reply", press the 'x' in the corner of the Contact list box.

The avatar pictures of the contacts selected will appear in the blue box area of the "Private reply".




Note: Once you create a "Private reply", you are unable to delete it. The "Delete" is grayed out in the drop down for a "Private reply".

Friday, October 23, 2009

Google's Open Source Chromium Browser Updaters for OS/X and Windows

(Google Chrome's Open Source Version)

Using Google Wave, I've finally found a reason to use Chromium for more than a few minutes a day. But, a big issue with using it, Keeping it up to date.

I found a few tools which can help keep Chromium up to date with the latest version.

First the Mac OS/X updater. This come from TechCrunch, you can read about it on their site.

Direct download link for TechCrunch's Mac Chromium Updater .


Next up, the Windows OS updater. It comes from tlokzz, a nice easy/fast Chromium Updater.

It has built in download manager and auto installer. The Chromium Updater download is a RAR file. If you do not have a program to extract RAR files, 7-Zip is a great Open Source program to use.

Note: You can also directly download the latest Chromium Build here

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Google Wave - Using Folders

After using Google Wave for awhile, your Inbox will start to get a full of Waves. You will soon see the need for using folders in Google Wave.

This is how the Inbox looks when you first start using Google Wave:



After using Google Wave for awhile, the Inbox will start to look like this:



How do you clean up all those Wave you now have in your Inbox? Folders.



To create a Folder, click on the "Plus" icon to the right of "FOLDERS" (located in the Navigation area). An empty box will appear, type in a name for the new Folder, press enter to save the name for the new Folder.



Now that you have created the Folder, place the mouse cursor over the folder name, a downward pointing triangle icon will appear to the right of the folder name, click once, a dropdown menu will appear which allows you to Add a new folder/Rename/Delete/Move down/Set Color.

Note: Now would be a good time to select a color for the new Folder.



To add Waves to a Folder, drag and drop the Wave from the Inbox to the Folder name in the Navigation area. (I found this works best in Chrome/Chromium)

Note: After the drag/drop, it may appear the Wave has not moved, you will need to be patient, as it may take a moment for the Wave to be moved to the Folder.


After a Wave is moved to a Folder, it is "tagged" with the Folder name. When you click on a Folder name in the Navigation area, you will see a list of Waves displayed which were assigned to that Folder.



Side note: Looking at the Folder screen shot above, you will notice some of the Avatar photos have "Green Dots" in the bottom right corner. This denotes a Google Wave user is current logged in to Google Wave. Next, looking at the far right of the Wave, you may see a puzzle piece icon and/or a polariod instant photo icon, these denote a Gadget and/or Image inside the Wave.


Once the Waves have sorted to different folders, they may appear again in the Inbox. This happens when a new blip/reply is added to a Wave. Displayed on the Wave will be both the Folder label and Inbox label.



To remove a Wave (already assigned to a folder) from the Inbox, click on the Wave and press the Archive button at the top left of the Inbox.




Folders can also be created inside Folders. The example below shows a Folder called "Plurk Wave - Old", this Folder was created inside "Plurk Waves".



To create a Folder inside a Folder, place the mouse cursor over the folder name and a downward pointing triangle icon will appear to the right, click once on the triangle icon, a menu will appear, click on "Add a new folder". Then follow the same process shown above for creating a new folder.




When all of the Waves have been sorted to folders, they may be view all at once by clicking "All" in the Navigation area:

Monday, October 19, 2009

Google Wave - How to add a video to a Wave

First, create a new wave or create a reply inside a wave.

Then enter the text you wish to use for a URL link.

Select the text you just entered and click on the 'link' button in the edit bar at the top of the wave.

Now paste/type in a video link(for example a youtube link) and click insert link.

You will see a light bulb icon next to the link you just created.




Click on the light bulb icon, a pop up to embed a video will appear




Click on "Embed Video" and the video will load into your wave.

New Google Wave Feature - Green Dot for Online Contacts

First noticed a new Google Wave feature this morning, you are now notified by a "Green Dot" when one of your contacts are online in Google Wave.

The "Green Dot" shows up on the Avatar photo of your contacts. Your online contact will sort to the top of the Contact List.



You are also notified by a Green Dot on the Avatar picture next to your Waves.

More Fun Google Wave iPhone "stuff"

More fun with Google Wave on the iPhone (followup to the blog post "Using Google Wave from your iPhone")


Pings on the iPhone.

If you are "pinged" in Google Wave, you will see a "pop up" appear when you access Google Wave via your iPhone.



A "ping" is like getting an IM message, but done via Google Wave.

If you look closely at the URL in the photo above, you will see it has a "https" at the front of the URL (https://wave.google.com), This is because Google Wave is a secure web site. (that is a good thing)

Note: The "ping" pop up will only appear once per "ping", be it on your computer or iPhone.


Viewing images located inside a Wave on the iPhone.

Image viewing in Google Wave on the iPhone works, but it is only good for a quick review. The iPhone screen is a bit too small to show good image detail via Google Wave.

First you scroll to the bottom of a "wave" and click on the button "Images", the screen will dim, now scroll to the top of the "wave". You will see a box which allows you to "View as slide show" the images contained within the "wave" you are currently viewing.



After you select "View as slide show" Google Wave will load the images and display a slide show or you to scroll through them.




Sunday, October 18, 2009

Google Wave Invite Use Hint

With the need to use a Google account with Google Wave, you'll want to be careful if you receive the Google Wave invite and you're logged in to a Google Gmail account which is NOT the one you want with your Google Wave account.

Why you ask?

It may just happen your Google Wave invite is sent to a Google Gmail account which is NOT the one you'd like to share with persons with whom you'll be using Google Wave with.

If the Google Wave invite happens to come a Google Gmail account you do not want to use, you can forward the Google Wave invite email a Google Gmail account you do want to be used as your Google Wave account.

Important Note: Be sure the first time you use your Google Wave invite URL you are already logged in to the Google Account which you want to use with Google Wave. You only get once chance to use the Google Wave invite, if you the use the Google Wave invite URL and then you try to change to a different Google account, you will lose access to your invite.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Using Google Wave from your iPhone

Thanks for a fellow Waver, JAG, found out we can access Google Wave using the iPhone.

It appears to work. And it updates real-time (as it should), just like using in a PC/OS/X/Linux browser.

The first thing you'll want to do is go to wave.google.com via the iPhone's web browser



You'll want to Zoom in on the image at the center of the page and select the 'go ahead' link.



You'll then see the Google Wave page.




A couple of screen shots of an open wave.



If a fellow Waver is editing the wave you have open, you'll see it update in real time.




Make a Shortcut to the iPhone's Home Page to access Google Wave



Screen shot of the Google Wave on the Home Page

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

New Firefox addon - Google Wave Notifier

Update: Google Wave Add-on for Firefox 0.0.3 has been released. Now Support for 3.7a1pre.

Google Wave Add-on for Firefox 0.0.1

It will notify you of new waves in your inbox.

It is still an experimental add-on, so you'll have to 'check' the box, before the web site will allow you to install in Firefox.

As it's an experimental add-on, for updates, you'll need to check the add-on page yourself for now.

After you install, you'll need to restart Firefox. After Firefox is started. Go to the Addon Preferences for and enter your username/password.



Note: It currently only works in Firefox 3.5.x.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Google Wave Tips

A list of useful tips about Google Wave.

First, I would Highly Recommend installing and using Chrome or Chromium with Google Wave.

1) How to add Images to a Wave in Google Wave.

When using Chromium/Chrome, The first time you try to drag/drop an image into Google Wave, Google Gears addon will be autoinstalled. (if not already installed)

You can then drop images into Google Wave.

You drop an image onto a "wave" and Google Wave will auto create a reply "wave" for you, using the image.



The image will appear in the "wave" using the file name of the image, you should change the displayed file name before clicking the 'done' button on the "wave".



You can also add text to the "wave" created by the drag/drop of the image.




2) Make the contacts box bigger: Place your cursor on the right wall of the contact box, when it changes, left click and drag to the right. This will increase the contact box size.

This same process works for all of the Wave items (Navigation/Inbox/Open Wave(s)) on your Wave page.

It doesn't appear to save the layout sizes from session to session however.


3) When creating a "wave", an edit bar appears at the top of the "wave" and allows for links/files/text formatting




4) Playback button (shown at the top an open Wave) shows how the Wave progressed. Sort of like a slide show for the Wave.




5) The "Name" shown in the Contacts Box comes from your Google profile. So be sure to setup your profile using the Google account which you using with GoogleWave. If not setup, we see your email address as your "Name". The avatar picture displayed in the Contacts Box also comes from the Google profile. But for some reason doesn't always appear in everyone's Contact Box, even if you have a avatar picture setup in your Google profile.

(No image of the Contact Box here as I do not wish to display my contact's email addresses)

6) Google Wave has a number of Keyboard shortcuts:



(Click on the Photo above to view the keyboard shortcuts full-screen)

Note: Use the "Spacebar" to see new "waves" in an open Wave document, this can be a great time saver.


7) Creating Folders in Google Wave allows you to create categories for your Wave documents. This is also useful to clean the Google Wave Inbox of older Waves and file the Waves documents.

To move a Wave document to a Folder: click on a Wave document and dragdrop it to the Folder name.

Selecting the dropdown arrow to the right of the folder allows for a Color to be selected for the Folder / Delete Folder / Rename Folder.




Selecting a color for the Folder will make it easier to see different Folders when looking at the Waves via "All"



When deleting a Folder, it does not delete the Wave documents contained within the deleted Folder, but moves the Wave documents to "All".

You can also create folders inside folders.




8) CTRL-click on a Wave document will open it. You can open multiple Waves documents at once doing this. But, you need a Large Screen for this to be useful.

Once open, click on the bottom of the Wave "box" to resize the Wave.




9) The Green Bar to the left of a "wave" reply shows it is new since the last time you read the Wave document, you can click on the green bar to 'mark' read.

10) When clicking on a Link in a "wave", it will open the link to a new page.

11) When u create a "wave", click on the red 'map' icon on the edit bar, it will add a map to your wave.



Note: If you do not see the icon, you may not have the Map Gadget installed. Review the Wave by Doctor Wave: "Extensions Gallery", which should be in your inbox. Scroll through this Wave and you will see different Gadgets you can install into to your Wave environment.




Useful video to watch Google Wave: 15 features

COVID-19 US Confirmed (Chart Updated Daily)

COVID-19 US Confirmed (Chart Updated Daily)