Google is saying “Hello, HTML5″ and goodbye, Google Gears. In a message posted on the Gears API Blog, Gears Team member Ian Fette explained why development has been slow: “If you’ve wondered why there haven’t been many Gears releases or posts on the Gears blog lately, it’s because we’ve shifted our effort towards bringing all more »

Have you ever lost an Internet connection, but needed to desperately check for e-mail? I’m sure many of us have experienced this and wished there was some way to check e-mail offline. Enter Offline Gmail, a handy lab feature that allows you to check for mail, send, search, and label mail – all offline.

Basically, Google uses their Gears program to save and download a cached version of your mail. Even without Internet access, you just have to go to your browser, type in Gmail.com, and the cached files load because it is saved on your hard drive. Nifty huh? Check out the video after the break.