After all the cussing and pleading, I finally got a Google wave invite just 2 days back. Even though I had gone through all those sexy video tutorials explaining what Google Wave is, I couldn’t figure out what I am supposed to do next. In case, you are in a similar situation check out the cool list of Google wave gadgets and tools I managed to collect over the last 2 days.
Before that, do not expect something mind-blowing when playing with Google Wave. There are still hell lot of things which aren’t perfect and by default Google hasn’t come out with that many gadgets as such. Most of these are built by hobby developers who must have been trying out the Wave APIs and some of them are really useless!
Suggested Read:
- Ultimate List of Google Wave Bots
- 10 More Google Wave Gadgets to Play With
- How to Install a Google Wave Gadget Extension?
Ultimate List of Google Wave Gadgets and Tools
1. Twitter
This ought to be featured out here and of-course on top. Just add tweety-wave@appspot.com to your contact list and follow the instructions you get inside the wavelet. It uses Twitter’s oAuth mechanism to log you in. The wave with the Tweety is updated in a real time.
2. Wikify for Wikipedia
Wikify gives you a full definition of any topic you want from within a Wave. All you need to do is to add Wikify mail address to your Wave contact list: wikifier@appspot.com
and each time you need to know the definition of a topic or a term, use the Wikify command to get the info from Wikipedia
3. TwilioBot
TwilioBot (twiliobot@appspot.com) automatically transforms the phone numbers in the wave into click-to-call links. If user clicks a link, a call is placed to his cell phone or landline and to the phone number in the link and the two are connected. The phone call can be transcribed and automatically inserted into the wave as text with a link to the audio of the conversation.
4. Map Gadget
Lets users edit a map together, adding markers and polys with titles and descriptions. Users can also search for addresses and businesses and add those.
5. Bit.ly-bot
Add bitly-bot@appspot.com to your contact list and then add this user whenever you want to shorten URLs inside Waves. It will do that automatically. You can also use the same Wave just to shorten the URL whenever needed.
6. iWave
Allows you to create a profile on Wave by using Facebook connect. To use iWave, open a new Wave, click on the green button, and add this widget URL: http://gadget.wave.to/iWave/iWave.xml
7. Grauniady
Grauniady is a Guardian Google Wave Prototype Robot and I really like this experimental gadget. Add grauniady@appspot.com to your contact list and input the phrase you want to search on The Guardian. This robot is a great example how mainstream media could use Google Wave.
8. Eliza
Remember Eliza, the auto-chat bot? She makes her way into Google wave as well. Add elizarobot@appspot.com to your contact list and talk to her if you are feeling alone in your Google Wave client.
9. Starify
Starify allows you to bookmark Waves. Add Starify’s email address to your contact list: starifybot@appspot.com and then you are able to keep track of all your starred waves. Add Starify user to any wave you want to bookmark, then type the following commands:
1. /star’ Star a wave
2. /list’ See all your starred waves
3. /delete’ Remove starred waves
10. Nokar
Nokar is pretty similar to Starify and works on the same command concept. It allows you to do all sort of things such as: Convert your text to pirate-speak, show recent tweets by user, and more. Add lab2market@appspot.com to your contact list.
11. Bloggy
Bloggy publishes the content of waves to a blog site. Add blog-wave@appspot.com to your contact list and test it out yourself.
12. Stocky
Stocky (stocky-wave@appspot.com) automatically detects stock symbols from a wave and updates it with the live stock price.
13. Emoticony
Emoticony is a must have for all MSN fans. It’s a robot that converts text representations of emoticons to actual images once the Wave is submitted. The robot sits on this email address: emoticonbot@appspot.com and can be used in every conversation.
14. Cartoony
Cartoony replaces the text of every submitted blip with a cartoon balloon that contains the text instead. Add cartoonybot@appspot.com to your contact list and then to all waves to see it in action
15. Amazon
Add this email address to your contact list: amazon-withwaves-com@appspot.com, then follow the commands instruction to use the amazon bot.
16. Calcbot
Calcbot helps you with simple math calculations during your conversation. Add this bot to your user list: calcbot@appspot.com and follow the simple command to start.
17. Flippy
Not sure why you want to do this, in case you get bored inside a conversation, you can flip your text with Flippy – flippy-wave@appspot.com
18. Lasty
As the name suggest it’s a bot related to last.fm and music. Add Lasty (last-robot@appspot.com) if you want to tell people what you listened to recently on Last.fm during a conversation. After adding Lasty-bot to your contact list, type ‘YourLastFMUser-is-listening‘ inside a Wave and Lasty will tell what song are you listening.
19. Complety
Completey (wave-complete@appspot.com) replaces “???” in a blip with a suggested word.
20. Short Emoticon Service (SES)
Similar to Emoticony but the other user gets notified along with a sound. Pretty simple and effective. Let the other users know how you feeling currently.
21. Row of Four
Add rowoffour@appspot.com to your contact list and play against a robot, with the goal to get four cells in a row of your color before the robot does.
22. All for Good
All for Good is a Google Wave extension that helps you find and share ways to do good in real time. It helps you take up volunteer opportunities, thus play a role in improving our communities and country. Here is the installer XML
23. Tagdef
This wave looks for #hashtags in your wave/blips, and uses the API at http://tagdef.com to look up definitions for these tags. It then adds a reply to the wave with the definitions. Add tagdef@appspot.com to your contact list and follow the instructions.
Let me know which Google wave robot / Gadget/ tool you liked the most? Is there any new gadget released and not present here? Do let me know.
Raju is the founder-editor of Technology Personalized. He worked as a software developer in banking domain before he turned into a technology journalist back...