While web-based e-mail services that are accessible from any computer with a web connection and a browser are convenient, the applications are sometimes hindered by their internet tether, Google said. Unless users are at a WiFi hotspot or using a smartphone over a snappy network, accessing web-based email can be a challenge.
The new offline Gmail functionality is an experimental feature in Gmail Labs. Once they add the feature to their Gmail accounts, users will be able to use parts of the web-based e-mail service offline.
"It should be no surprise to anyone that Google felt compelled to develop an offline version of Gmail. The entire world isn't wired, and for businesses and consumers, they want to work offline sometimes," Matthew Caine, an analyst at Gartner, told TechNewsWorld.
