Google Gears

(Newser) - Google has rolled out an offline service for Gmail in a bid to woo business users, CNET reports. The system lets users read, write, and search emails in their browsers even when they’re not connected to the Internet. Messages are sent and retrieved again once network access is restored....

(Newser) - Google is readying to let users test-drive offline applications. Still in design, Google Gears will allow browsers to use locally stored copies of Google apps (like its spreadsheet), save updates, and later transfer a temporary cache to “the cloud”—Google’s servers—the next time they connect to...

(Newser) - Google is releasing its first ever hard-drive-based application, in what some tech watchers are calling a charge onto Microsoft's turf. Google Gears, an open-source browser extension now in beta, will allow users to operate Google programs without a web connection—a domain Gates, Ballmer, and co. have traditionally ruled.