GMail 'offline' app launched

Users of Google's Gmail can now continue having access to many email functions even without an Internet connection, thanks to a new app. Product manager Benoît de Boursetty said the HTML5-based app is initially available for users of Google's Chrome Web browser. "Gmail Offline is a Chrome Web Store app that’s intended for situations when you need to read, respond to, organize and archive email without an internet connection. This HTML5-powered app is based on the Gmail web app for tablets, which was built to function with or without web access," de Boursetty said in a blog post. A user who has the Gmail Offline app installed on the Chrome browser can continue using Gmail when he or she is disconnected from the Internet, by clicking the Gmail Offline icon on Chrome’s “new tab" page. De Boursetty said they had discussed offline access to Google's web apps when Google announced Chromebooks at Google I/O 2011. "Now we’re taking our first steps in that direction," De Boursetty said. De Boursetty also said offline features for Google Calendar and Google Docs will be rolling out over the next week. According to De Boursetty, Google Calendar and Google Docs lets a user seamlessly transition between on- and offline modes. "When you’re offline in Google Calendar, you can view events from your calendars and RSVP to appointments. With Google Docs you can view documents and spreadsheets when you don’t have a connection," De Boursetty said. However, De Boursetty said offline editing is not ready yet, although they are working on it. De Boursetty also said this is just the beginning, and that Google is "pushing the boundaries of modern browsers to make this possible." "Support for offline document editing and customizing the amount of email to be synchronized will be coming in the future. We also look forward to making offline access more widely available when other browsers support advanced functionality (like background pages)," De Boursetty said. — TJD, GMA News