Offline Access using Google Gears

In the normal scheme of things, an internet connection would be considered an absolute necessity for accessing your e-mail account. But that sort of system is now passé. You may not be able to have your cake and eat it too in real life, but with Google Gears you can manage to browse through your e-mail account even if you get unplugged from the Internet. Google Gears I s actually a plug in that can extend your browser to create a richer platform for web applications. The plug in can be downloaded for free from http://gears.google.com . The size of the file is quite small, and the download and installation process are usually over in a jiffy. The minimum system requirements are usually over in a jiffy. The minimum system requirements are Windows XP/Vista and the browser requirements are Firefox 1.5+ and IE6+.

Once the application is installed, Gmail will download your e-mail, every last gigabyte of it to your desktop. To Access your account in the offline mode, you still have to go through the sign-up process, and the Gmail account will appear on your computer screen in the same way as it does in the online mode. Then onwards, whenever you compose new e-mails, they will be stored in the outbox and will automatically get sent to their destination as soon as you get online. Gmail works in the offline mode, by using the local cache, but it continues to synchronize your mail with the server in the background. One advantage of using offline mode is that is turns out to be much faster, as Gmail does not have to hit the Google server to download your old e-mails.



The scope of Google Gears is not limited to Gmail only. In fact, this plug-in is proving to be a boon for developers around the world who are using it to provide offline interaction to the visitors to their site, and to create content based on geographical location. A number of web-based applications, including Google Reader and Google Docs, are currently compatible with Google Gears. Popular websites like Zoho and Remember the Milk have also been using Gears since their inception. In fact, the ability to access the documents stored in your Zoho account or in Google Docs can turn out to be a great convenience for most users. It is almost like having a new version of Office software, with many web related features right there on your desktop.


Just because you have the plug-in installed in your browser. It does not mean that every website using Google Gears will automatically be able to download its information on your desktop. Before the download happens, a pop up box will appear on the screen and you will be asked if you wish to allow the site to use Gears. You can cancel the popup if you have no need for the data from this site. But if you need it, then you will have to enable Gears by checking “ I trust this site. Allow it to use Gears. “it is also possible for you to change your preferences at any later stage. This system is also available in versions that are compatible with Mobile and Linux.

In the normal scheme of things, an internet connection would be considered an absolute necessity for accessing your e-mail account. But that sort of system is now passé. You may not be able to have your cake and eat it too in real life, but with Google Gears you can manage to browse through your e-mail account even if you get unplugged from the Internet. Google Gears I s actually a plug in that can extend your browser to create a richer platform for web applications. The plug in can be downloaded for free from http://gears.google.com . The size of the file is quite small, and the download and installation process are usually over in a jiffy. The minimum system requirements are usually over in a jiffy. The minimum system requirements are Windows XP/Vista and the browser requirements are Firefox 1.5+ and IE6+.
Once the application is installed, Gmail will download your e-mail, every last gigabyte of it to your desktop. To Access your account in the offline mode, you still have to go through the sign-up process, and the Gmail account will appear on your computer screen in the same way as it does in the online mode. Then onwards, whenever you compose new e-mails, they will be stored in the outbox and will automatically get sent to their destination as soon as you get online. Gmail works in the offline mode, by using the local cache, but it continues to synchronize your mail with the server in the background. One advantage of using offline mode is that is turns out to be much faster, as Gmail does not have to hit the Google server to download your old e-mails.

The scope of Google Gears is not limited to Gmail only. In fact, this plug-in is proving to be a boon for developers around the world who are using it to provide offline interaction to the visitors to their site, and to create content based on geographical location. A number of web-based applications, including Google Reader and Google Docs, are currently compatible with Google Gears. Popular websites like Zoho and Remember the Milk have also been using Gears since their inception. In fact, the ability to access the documents stored in your Zoho account or in Google Docs can turn out to be a great convenience for most users. It is almost like having a new version of Office software, with many web related features right there on your desktop.

Just because you have the plug-in installed in your browser. It does not mean that every website using Google Gears will automatically be able to download its information on your desktop. Before the download happens, a pop up box will appear on the screen and you will be asked if you wish to allow the site to use Gears. You can cancel the popup if you have no need for the data from this site. But if you need it, then you will have to enable Gears by checking “ I trust this site. Allow it to use Gears. “it is also possible for you to change your preferences at any later stage. This system is also available in versions that are compatible with Mobile and Linux.

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