The great Google Wave invite giveaway!

If you haven’t heard of Google Wave yet — a) wake up! and b) watch this tech demo. It’s long, but if you’re a nerd, or someone who uses the Internet a lot, you’ll find it more exciting than the latest Harry Potter film. And at only 80 minutes, it’s not a potentially-bladder-exploding endurance event, unlike the bespectacled wizard wannabe.

And with that said, the goodies: Download Squad are giving away Google Wave invites. We’re going to start giving away invites whenever we have them to give away and today, to get the ball rolling, we’ve got 20 up for grabs! If things heat up, we’ll scrounge under the couch cushions until we find more!

Wave is just starting to pick up steam, with more gadgets and gizmos and robots appearing every day. With reports of Google Wave server federation (the ability for anyone to run a Wave server) coming soon, and the sandbox walls being torn down, now’s your chance to get in on the action.

‘But what can I do with a Wave invite, Seb?’

If you didn’t bother to watch the video (you really should), here’s a quick run-down of why you should care about Google Wave — and why you should enter this giveaway.

• Impress everyone at work — yes, imagine the faces of your coworkers as they glance over your shoulder and see you using Google Wave!
• Secure your Wave address — I don’t know if our Wave account will ultimately be tied into a Google Account, or if we’ll keep these name@googlewave.com addresses. But if the latter’s the case, you’re going to want to register your name sooner, rather than later.
• Developers can get developing — if you have an idea of a gadget that would work well with Wave, or some kind of robot that hooks into another external service, now would be the time to work on it, ready for public release.
• Prepare yourself for the Wave revolution — this is the reason I’m using it. When Google finally opens the floodgates, I want to be one step ahead of everyone else. I want to be the master of the Blip, while you are struggling with your first Reply. I want to know all of the keyboard shortcuts so that I can leave my other Conversation partners in the dust!

So… do yourself a favor and take part in this giveaway! It’s very easy — just leave a comment below. We’ll throw everyone’s name into a hat on Monday, and announce the winners soon after. Full terms follow.

• To enter, leave a comment below.
• The comment must be left by Sunday, November 1 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: A Google Wave invite.
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.