We already knew Waveboard was bringing Google Wave to both the desktop and the iPhone with two dedicated clients, but you’ll be interested to know the iPhone app is now live on the App Store and available for less than a buck (iTunes link).
As you can tell from the short demo video below, the app does exactly what you think it does: it displays ‘waves’ and lets you search historical ones, start new ones and manage your contacts. It also opens external links in a custom browser without the need to leave the app. Waveboard also supports push notifications through a workaround (you need both the Prowl iPhone app and the Mac version of Waveboard), although they did say the next iteration will have proper push notifications.
While the interface is a bit clunky and there are some bugs left to iron out, the dedicated app sure beats simply using Safari on your iPhone to visit wave.google.com (which works too, just slower).
Update: commenters are pointing out that the app functions merely as a viewer for what you can see when visiting the Google Wave service from your iPhone. To an extent, this is definitely true – there is, after all, no Google Wave API yet – but there a couple of features that you won’t get in the web version like the integrated browser window and a ’shake’ function for logging out or reloading waves, with more features underway according to the developer behind the tool. Of course, it’s entirely up to you if you want to shell out a dollar for the app rather than simply installing a Safari bookmark on your iPhone for free instead.
(Hat tip to AppsFire)
Hoping for an acquisition eh.
Good luck to you. I’ll test the iPhone app out today but the desktop seemed to simply be a browser frame running a trimmed version of Google Wave itself. Hope the iPhone app is better.
Good call on being one of the first apps to work with Wave though. And I like the logo
Seems a bit early to put a For Sale tag on the products though. I think something needs to be REALLY good for Google to buy it, otherwise they might aswell just build their own iPhone app & client
This isn’t an iPhone app. It’s a Safari wrapper only anybody can write in 5 minutes.
Lame.
Looking forward to seeing a REAL iPhone Wave client.
I can’t wait for a proper Air based desktop wave client.
Seems good application.
Their desktop app on the other hand looks like a Google Chrome browser stripped off its menus and url bar, with a single page to navigate – the Wave dashboard…
It’s the exact same for this iPhone app. If you go to wave.google.com on your iPhone, you’ll see exactly what is in this app that they are selling. It is just a dedicated window to pull up Google’s already existing Wave iPhone webapp, they’ve barely done anything here, definitely not worth a dollar.
Is it me or does the UI look exactly like the UI from Safari?
Seems cool!
This is so quick! But how about getting a Wave invitation first so we can practice such apps!
Uhh, the UI looks like just a wrapper of Google’s own mobile UI. I don’t think it’s original work… you can just go to wave.google.com in Safari and add the site to your home screen.
As a heavy user of Wave, I was really excited about this app.
But it is only a embedded Safari, both on the iPhone and on the desktop: they are just abusing users to pay for this crap.
I already had a Wave shortcut on my first iPhone screen, and I did not pay for that.
You should warn you readers right now..
There’s a reason why this looks just like the Safari version. It’s because it IS Safari. They are just using a native app that has a browser in it. It’s not any faster or better than using the browser.
All the hard work was done by the mobile team at Google. Waveboard just put a frame around the browser and are charging for it.
I wouldn’t waste my money on this.
Besides, if you add a bookmark to your Home Screen, it will automagically remove the browser frame anyway so it will function exactly like the app.
Try it.
Thank god I read the comments, saving me a buck xD
Updated the article based on comments above about the app functioning only as a viewer for wave.google.com.
I downloaded it for only one reason. Potential. I would rather be in on the ground floor for .99 then waiting till the app gets “cool” and pay more then.
Indeed, both apps are just WebKit wrappers. They probably spent more time on the logo then coding these.
I think it’s interesting that apple let this app through. If google had written it would it be there? Which begs the question did At&t actually stop google voice? Apple removed the third party apps too and At&t is the only one still raising issues with google voice.
ridiculous that tc gives this cr”app” airtime, while there are other much better apps out there that would kill for this publicity. do your homework. this is amateur hour.
Hey, I beat TC to a story by a day!
And I even have some codes to give away so that you can get the app for free:
http://bit.ly/1Kac8E
Interesting… It would seem the same technical superiority crowd will be the downfall to everybody without a huge development budget…
Sounds like all my waves point to Google…
Google Wave… write us some libraries… I mean what good is your product unless everybody else can mash it up?
I’m still waiting for my google wave invite
I am waiting for my wave account
Hey there everyone i was just introduceing myself here im a first time visitor who hopes to become a daily reader!