So Google announced a new project called Google Wave. And I gotta say it looks pretty cool. They classify it as “What email would look like if it were invented today“. I do like the look and feel of it. The built in IM features are pretty slick and it has a lot of potential to go future then even Google could probabaly think up (which is why they made it an open source).

The major drawback is that it does rely highly on HTML 5, which if you ask me is a huge issue, being a web developer for 10+ years now (wow I’m old) one of the first things you learn is that people don’t upgrade their web browser and if you site wont work in their crazy old IE 6  then it’s your fault and not theirs. It’s sad and pathetic, but the number version of IE 6 out there is just ridiculous.

Also keep in mind that HTML 5 isn’t supported in IE7 or Firefox yet either. So far IE8 which is still in Beta, Safari 3 and Chrome will support parts of it and of course as always Opera is way out ahead of the pack with the most support of HTML5

I’m sure eventually Google Wave could grow to be something pretty cool. And it will definitely be something loved among the tech savvy crowd, but by the time the rest of the world catches up I am sure there will be something even better a bigger out. Which they will probably not see until the next cool thing and so on. Will this cycle ever end?

If you missed it and want to hang out a watch the 1.5 hour presentation, I have posted the video below. Also be sure to tell me how wrong or right I am about or what you think about Google Wave.

So as must of you may already know Hulu released a desktop client yesterday for Windows and Mac. I have tested it out and I personally think this is just the tool they need to keep ahead of the new YouTube Shows and Movies (not that what they already had wasn’t 10x better imo)

My favorite part of hulu (outside of the content) is the ability to open the video window in a pop-out. I enjoy watching last night shows on my mac as I work and the pop out allows me to keep my desktop space nice and clean so I can continue to do my work as I watch (or mostly listen) to the show.

So basically I see hulu desktop as the popout window on steroids, It allows me to have a nice non-cluttered window on the bottom corner of my display like the pop-out, but I am also able to go full screen in an instant and find the next show I want to watch quick and easy without having to close the window and navigate back to hulu.

So if you haven’t already I recommend giving hulu desktop a download and checking it out.

Also be sure to let me know what you think and what your favorite part of it is.

If you haven’t hear about mint.com yet it is about time you do. Mint.com is the free online spot to manage your money. If you are anything like me, you never carry cash and use your debit card for just about everything. Well, if that is the case, or even if you still use cash mint.com can help you manage your money and help you set that budget you’ve been meaning to do. All for the low, low price of $0.00.

So, here is how it works. You sign up on their page and add your accounts (banks, credit cards, mortgages, etc…). They have a vast resource of banks they can work with (sadly my bank is to stupid and wont work, but the credit cards do).

Anyways, once you add your account you can setup alerts to remind you when they are due and/or to pay them. But the real fun comes with the iPhone app (iTunes link). Which allows you to keep track of all your account directly from your phone.

I personally have been using the app for about a month now and with the ability to drill down to my individual accounts and instantly check and see if I had already made a payment or not, has saved from multiple logins to my accounts, which can take some time because I can never remember which password I used and usually have to reset it, but can’t choose what I want, because I apparently used it before a long time ago and you can’t use the same password twice, because it’s just unsecure and blah blah blah..!!! That little rant was given to you in part by chase.com.

The app is amazing and I am sure it is every better when you can add your bank and actually use the budgeting and cash flow options, as well as to see what you spent and where you spent it.  It will also divides everything into categories like groceries, gas, shopping, restaurants, etc.

I recommend checking out the site even if you don’t have an iPhone. But if you do then the Mint App is definitely a must have.