Google Demonstrates Offline Gmail For The iPhone

Posted by Tyler Tschida on: February 20th, 2009, 7.20 am

Google’s VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra, demonstrated offline Gmail at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and it looks pretty snazzy.

The offline Gmail mobile web application is based on the HTML5 standard which is supported by the iPhone’s web browser or any Webkit based mobile browser for that matter. It is able to store user data as well as the software itself. If a user loses a network connection, the data is kept live and available for use. When the connection returns, user data is re-synced to the server.

The Gmail web application also sports a floating toolbar that is able to track email browsing and supports message labeling.

The web application is merely a proof-of-concept for the iPhone and Android based phones. Google gave no time frame on when the technology would be made available.

[via iPhone Buzz]

2 Comments

  1. Sean
    February 20, 2009 • 8:01 am

    When is that app gonna be available at the app-store?

    Reply
  2. Tyler Tschida
    February 20, 2009 • 8:10 am

    @Sean – The Gmail web application is a browser based technology. When you sign in to your Gmail account through Safari or which browser you are using, it will act like an application. There is no need to download the software from any source such as the App Store. That’s the beauty of it.

    Reply

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