Gmail Now Accessible Offline; Calendar & Docs Soon

Google has launched an app in the Chrome Web Store that allows users to access Gmail offline. Google Calendar and Google Docs offline support will arrive shortly.

Wednesday Google product manger Benoît de Boursetty said that Gmail can now be accessed offline (again) via an HTML5-based app available on the Chrome Web Store. Google Calendar and Google Docs will also be available offline starting sometime next week.

"This HTML5-powered app is based on the Gmail web app for tablets, which was built to function with or without web access," he said. "After you install the Offline Google Mail app from the Chrome Web Store, you can continue using Gmail when you lose your connection by clicking the Gmail Offline icon on Chrome’s “new tab” page."

As for Google Calendar, users will be able to view events from calendars and RSVP to appointments when offline. Documents and spreadsheets via Google Docs will also be viewable when users are offline, but editing won't be available when the apps launch next week.

"Support for offline document editing and customizing the amount of email to be synchronized will be coming in the future," he said. "We also look forward to making offline access more widely available when other browsers support advanced functionality."

At one point Gmail had an offline mode thanks to the now-dead Google Gears which allowed users to create cached versions of every website they visited. However Google discontinued its Gears service in early 2010 to focus on an HTML5 version instead. Eighteen months later, the offline mode has finally returned. For those who solely depend on web-based tools, an offline mode is like a beam of sunshine after a hurricane when there's no Internet connection to be found.

"After first start-up, Gmail Offline will automatically synchronize messages and queued actions anytime Chrome is running and an Internet connection is available," reads the app's description. "More than just an offline app, the streamlined user interface, based off Gmail’s popular tablet interface, provides extremely fast response time with a pure, email focused experience."

After installing the app, a Chrome icon appears in the taskbar announcing that it's running in the background. "Offline Google Mail will launch at system startup and continue to run in the background even once you've closed all other Google Chrome windows," a pop-up balloon warns.

"Today’s world doesn’t slow down when you’re offline and it’s a great feeling to be productive from anywhere, on any device, at any time," Benoît de Boursetty said.