This week, Google surprised absolutely nobody everyone when it announced that it was pulling the plug on Google Wave, its collaboration tool that was billed "as if e-mail were invented today."
The tool, which debuted in June 2009, was ambitious, to be sure, and many--myself included--liked where Wave seemed to be headed. It just never got there. Or even close. Or anywhere really.
Google says it's going to keep Wave around, but stop supporting it (kind of like the kid I had with my first ex--JK, JK). Some think Wave failed because it wasn't tied to already existing Google tech, as Buzz is with Gmail. I think one of Wave's problems was its name: Wave is kinda cheesy, bringing to mind surfing movies of the early '90s, if anything.
So what could Google have done to ensure a more glorious future for the technology? I've come up with a few ideas, and I'd like your opinion, too.