On day two of Google's I/O Developer Conference, the search giant announced a new platform called Google Wave. Arguably more ambitious than anything the company has done before, the new service looks to answer the question, 'What might email look like if it were invented today?'

The answer is anything but simple, and apparently it's not Gmail. Instead, Google Wave attempts to fuse what looks like a piece of client software with sophisticated threaded email, plus a whole bunch more. Instant Messaging is a big part of Google's vision for Wave, which will act like an IM when multiple collaborators are online at the same time.

Looking at the screenshots, Wave resembles something of a social networking app, sort of a Google meets Facebook meets Flickr, for lack of a proper description. With Wave, collaborators will have access to workgroup editing and instant photo sharing, and include a 'revolutionary' spell checker.

So what's the point? Well, to take on Microsoft in the online productivity arena, for one (and in a different way than Google Docs). Other possible reasons: to reinvent the web communication experience, to fully embrace the emerging HTML 5 standard, and to continue its domination of all things online.

Google is quick to point out that Wave is still in its infancy, so it might be awhile before we get a real feel for what Wave can offer. In the meantime, there's a ton more information on this interesting new service here and here.

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