Google has been working for many months now to use Gears (fka Google Gears) to make its Web-based productivity programs work when you’re offline.
Google Docs users can now do a fair amount of work without an Internet connection (the program uploads any changes users make as soon as their computers connect to the Web).
Gmail and Gcal currently work only online, but at least one analyst thinks that’s about to change.
“Gears on Gmail and Calendar in approximately 6 weeks. Just had a preview at Google offices. Not sure if it is Google Enterprise only,” said Andrew Fogg, chief marketing and strategy officer for Kusiri, in a Twitter post Thursday.
His post has caused a fair amount of excitement around the Web. Many commentators believe this would be a huge step in Google’s efforts to make its programs a realistic competitor to Microsoft’s Outlook program.
I’m not so sure.
Do people really need an email program that works offline?
I realize it’s dangerous to extrapolate from my own life about how other people live, but it’s pretty rare at this point for me to have computer access but lack Internet access. I can get online at my home and office, of course. I can get online at the local library or Starbucks or anyplace else I’d bring my computer. I can get online at the airport and most hotels.
The only time I can remember having a computer but no Internet access is the last time I flew for business.
Yes, I know there are a lot of business travelers who fly all the time, and offline access may be the thing that lets them switch to Gmail (although a lot of airlines will offer Internet access soon)
But for the 95 percent of the world that doesn’t travel a lot for work, I can’t see that this is the world’s biggest deal.
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