Google Apps Adds Ability To Check Gmail, Docs & Calendar Offline

I think at this point we can all agree that the infamous cloud is not going away. That being said, the cloud does have some disadvantages, and the most glaring of these is when you do not have an Internet connection available. Fear not, because Google has you covered as they are now offering offline access to Gmail, Docs and Calendar. The launches of these offline services are missing some features, but it s a step in the right direction for people who spend a lot of time computing away from an Internet connection.

First, Google launched their offline Gmail app, which allows users to archive, read and compose emails while offline. It stores your changes locally, and the next time you connect to the Internet, all of your changes will be uploaded and available online. Simply head over to the Chrome App Store and install the app.

For Google Docs you need to click the “settings” gear on the top right of the screen in the Docs app and click “Set Up Docs Offline“. The offline feature for Docs is still in beta and not available for everyone yet, but it will be over the next few days.

Calendar works similar to Docs. Click the gear and enable offline viewing.

The only problem is that you cannot edit Docs or Calendar offline, but it is still a step forward for Google apps, and Google is promising new features are being constantly added to their offline apps, so expect these features to be available soon.