Google Wave will start allowing a very select few to test it's new e-mail replacement system, and your local favorite tech blogger has no doubt hyped the holy living crap out of this.  However, Google is only allowing 100,000 people in the program and with about 3 billion internet users ( maybe more) world wide your chances of being selected are very slim. To get your feet wet into the ideas and concepts of Google Wave try some of the services below.

Campfire

Campfire is a business oriented solution that shares more  in common with Wave than any other service that I have come across.  It is basically a chat room on steroids. The most prominent features is the ability to upload pictures and documents directly into the chat window.  This allows anyone chatting to see and comment on the file which you have uploaded.  It also stores and keeps all your chat logs hosted on it's website, so you can come back later and review.  The only thing it doesn't do, is send emails and really who does that anymore ? On the downside campfire is a service that will cost you a few dollars there are variable pricing plans and a free trial if you want to take Campfire for a spin.

Pro: Professional look and seem less integration between pictures and chat

Cons: Subscription Fees!

http://campfirenow.com/

Stixy

Stixy really takes the Google Wave ideas to heart. It is a collaborative work environment that allows you to share, pictures,documents, and make comments via sticky notes.   All in all it can be used in very similar ways as campfire, but the chat is a lot less fluid and more like a message board.  The look and feel are something very similar to an online cork board.  You can save boards for later and start a new board any time you want. If you were planning on using this for work I would forget it. Stixy really seems like something your kids would be playing with.

Pro's: It really looks awesome and is super fun to play with.

Con's: It looks like a kids toy and is probably not good actual productivity.

http://www.stixy.com

Thinkature

Is basically Stixy for the business world.  It is very professional looking, allows pictures to be uploaded, documents, diagramming, free hand drawing, and voice chat. This all around package really seems like a productivity monster and would allow any form of collaboration that you would find in Google Wave, plus a little.  The only downside being that it isn't tide directly into your email and there isn't a wiki feature.

Pros:  Business Look and feel, Voice Chat

Cons:  Organizations of boards feels a unintuitive.

http://www.thinkature.com/

Conclusions:

All though none of these solutions offers all the same features as Google Wave there sure is a lot to love about all these web apps.  For the average user the Wave is a long way off and we want some thing now.  By far my favorite app to use was Thinkature it's free and it's awesome.  The hype built up around Wave will inevitably be a let down when you finally do get around to using it. So, go enjoy something similar while you still have that reality distortion field tightly in your grasp.