The search engine giant Google may be set to offer its users offline Gmail, according to reports.An article in the Hindustan Times (HT) suggested that e-mails currently stored online by Gmail may soon be available for access without the need for a web connection.
According to the publication, "highly placed sources" have suggested that the company has developed a version of the application that would allow users to do everything they can do online while in offline mode.
For instance, people would be able to browse their mail, respond to messages and save draft emails.
In order to make this possible, users would have to download a software client which would automatically synchronise with the Gmail server as soon as a person reconnected to the web.
According to the HT, the basis for an offline email facility was laid by Google earlier this year when it launched Google Gears, an open-source technology that allows software developers to create web applications while working offline.
The three features of Google Gears that would specifically assist an offline Gmail are local servers, a database and a worker thread pool.
Despite a Google spokeswomen in India denying that such a facility was being developed, the HT stated that users can expect to see an offline Gmail service, as well as offline versions of Google Docs and other software, available sometime this year.
The California-based search engine launched Google Gears in May 2007.
