Having used Google Wave now for several months, my overall impression is that Google Wave is an important new technology.  It’s not an “email killer”, but there are many cases where using wave makes much more sense than using email.  It’s not a “IM killer”, but there are many cases where using wave makes much more sense than using instant messaging.

Opinions about wave differ greatly, but there is one area that everyone (that I know) using wave agrees on:

Nobody needs or want another inbox to have to check!

That’s exactly why Danny Tuppeny’s freeware Google Wave Notifier is a “should have” for any Google Wave user.  (Well, those running Windows, anyway.)  Google Wave Notifier sits in the notification area of your PC and notifies you of unread messages in your Google Wave account.  The notification includes a summary of what is new and lets you easily navigate to Google Wave to read your new messages.

I’ve used browser plug-ins that perform similar functionality, but a browser plug-in is the wrong place for this type of feature for a few reasons: 1) it’s only available when your browser is running; 2) if you have multiple browser instances running, you’ll have redundant notifications; and 3) you’d need a similar plug-in for each type of browser you use (e.g., Firefox, IE, Safari, Chrome, etc.)

The Google Wave Notifier does not include an installer, but installation is simple—unzip the program files into a directory and run the executable.  If you want it to start automatically whenever you start Windows, just add a shortcut to the executable to your Windows Start Up menu.

If you’re a wave user, take 3 minutes and install the notifier.  I think you’ll be glad you did.