14 DAY TRIAL // Google is taking its online-based email service beyond the limitations inherent in Internet connectivity. In this context, the Mountain View-search giant indicated that it would permit Gmail access even if users were offline, via Google Gears. The company indicated that Offline Gmail was nothing more than an experimental feature at that point in time, but sufficiently evolved so that users could test-drive it. The promise is that even on machines that are temporarily not connected to the Internet, they will be able to access their email via a browser, just as they would normally interact with the Gmail service.
“Once you turn on this feature, Gmail uses Gears to download a local cache of your mail. As long as you're connected to the network, that cache is synchronized with Gmail's servers. When you lose your connection, Gmail automatically switches to offline mode, and uses the data stored on your computer's hard drive instead of the information sent across the network. You can read messages, star and label them, and do all of the things you're used to doing while reading your webmail online. Any messages you send while offline will be placed in your outbox and automatically sent the next time Gmail detects a connection,” Andy Palay, Gmail engineer, stated.
However, Offline Gmail is not exclusively limited to scenarios in which the device which the user is accessing emails on is actually offline, the feature will also kick in to compensate an unreliable or slow connection. Through the “flaky connection mode,” Offline Google will not only make use of the local cache (just as in situations when the machine is disconnected from the Internet), but it will also synchronize emails with the server in the background.
Offline Gmail will be rolled out to all users of Gmail in US or UK English, with the Mountain View company promising that the feature will be made available in the next few days. Offline Gmail is due to be integrated under the Labs tab in Settings. Users will need to check the box next to the item, and Save Changes.
“Offline Gmail is still an early experimental feature, so don't be surprised if you run into some kinks that haven't been completely ironed out yet. We've been using offline Gmail internally at Google for quite a while (I've read thousands of messages and answered hundreds en route to visit my son and my daughter). And it's saved me more than once when my home network connection ran into issues (we have squirrels at home that love to chew through outside cable wires). Now we're ready to have a larger set of people try it out, so we're making it available in Gmail Labs for those of you who want to test out Gmail's latest and greatest,” Palay added.