If you’re working and living in the States, what to do when you have no internet connection is usually a bit of an afterthought. However in Africa, parts of Asia and South America it’s what you think about before you even bothering looking at a computer screen. For us, it’s just the reality that even if you have access to the web, that connection may be down when you need it most and in some cases, there is no connection. But for Gmail users, there’s hope! In what should be part of their global expansion strategy, Google is experimenting with offline Gmail Access.
I have only one thing to say to people that green lighted this:
When I lived in the U.S. Web Apps made up like 80% of the way I planned, organized, worked and lived. Here in Uganda, however, I can’t rely on any of them because access to the internet isn’t always available and when it is, it’s often slow. Instead, I use only applications that offer desktop counterparts. I wrote about many of them here and here.
Although I love Gmail, I’ve only been able to continue using it through desktop apps like Thunderbird. Google loses here because they make most of their money through advertising to users through their web services. The less people using the web, the less they contribute to the companies bottom line. This new ‘Google Labs’ project however could potentially change things:
Significantly increasing the utility and competitiveness of it’s Web-based e-mail service, Google is enabling an experimental ability to read, write, and search Gmail messages even while not connected to the network.
Google believes almost religiously in cloud computing, the idea that computer applications and data live on the Internet rather than on PCs. But there are times when the network is inaccessible, and generally Web-based applications like today’s Gmail effectively seize up under those circumstances.
Offline sidesteps that problem, the classic example being a busy executive traveling on a plane. And offline Gmail access begins a new chapter for Google’s ambition to appeal to business customers for services such as Google Apps, of which Gmail is a component.
I absolutely understand that the scenario above is probably reason behind this move, but with Google’s increased involvement in Africa and other developing parts of the world, I can’t help but wonder if that played apart. So how does it work?
The Offline version of Gmail stores a copy of the user’s inbox locally on your PC using Google Gears. Most people will have to install it, but for those of you fortunate enough to have Google’s Chrome browser (anyone not on a Mac or Linux machine), it’s built in. Then the software automatically detects when your network connection is working. If the network is good, Gmail goes back to business as usual, using the web. If the connection is bad, Gmail goes into offline mode only sending unsent messages and retrieving new ones when the connection is restored.
It’s amazing how much falling stock prices can spur a little long overdue innovation!
About the author: Jonathan Gosier is a software developer, writer and social entrepreneur. He currently lives in Kampala, Uganda where he incubates and invests in East African entrepreneurs as the CEO of Appfrica Labs. He's also a TED Fellow.
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Gmail Goes Offline
If you’re working and living in the States, what to do when you have no internet connection is usually a bit of an afterthought. However in Africa, parts of Asia and South America it’s what you think about before you even bothering looking at a computer screen. For us, it’s just the reality that even if you have access to the web, that connection may be down when you need it most and in some cases, there is no connection. But for Gmail users, there’s hope! In what should be part of their global expansion strategy, Google is experimenting with offline Gmail Access.
I have only one thing to say to people that green lighted this:
When I lived in the U.S. Web Apps made up like 80% of the way I planned, organized, worked and lived. Here in Uganda, however, I can’t rely on any of them because access to the internet isn’t always available and when it is, it’s often slow. Instead, I use only applications that offer desktop counterparts. I wrote about many of them here and here.
Although I love Gmail, I’ve only been able to continue using it through desktop apps like Thunderbird. Google loses here because they make most of their money through advertising to users through their web services. The less people using the web, the less they contribute to the companies bottom line. This new ‘Google Labs’ project however could potentially change things:
I absolutely understand that the scenario above is probably reason behind this move, but with Google’s increased involvement in Africa and other developing parts of the world, I can’t help but wonder if that played apart. So how does it work?
The Offline version of Gmail stores a copy of the user’s inbox locally on your PC using Google Gears. Most people will have to install it, but for those of you fortunate enough to have Google’s Chrome browser (anyone not on a Mac or Linux machine), it’s built in. Then the software automatically detects when your network connection is working. If the network is good, Gmail goes back to business as usual, using the web. If the connection is bad, Gmail goes into offline mode only sending unsent messages and retrieving new ones when the connection is restored.
It’s amazing how much falling stock prices can spur a little long overdue innovation!