zach pippin

I’ve been using Gmail for about 5 years now, long before it went public. I’ve loved it and have not had any problems with the service. My only hangup was the ability to view my messages without an internet connection. Since Gmail is web based this was not possible. Apple Mail, however, was a perfect solution. It easily integrates with Gmail, pulling my messages from the server and preserving them on the desktop for later viewing, regardless of internet connection.

Google Gears has changed this (get used to hearing that this week). Now, with GoogleGears installed  (an extension in Firefox or Safari, not yet available in Chrome for Mac) I can activate Gmail’s “offline” mode. With this activated Gmail sets up a local cache on my computer. Messages are synced with this cache allowing me to open Gmail in my browser and view  it as if I were connected to the internet. I can even compose new messages to be placed in my outbox for sending upon connection.

I even have a Gmail application icon[view screenshot] that takes the place of Apple Mail in my dock.The icon doesn’t display new messages like Apple Mail, but I was able to get that function with the Google Notifier. It sits in the toolbar and automatically tells me when I have a new message.

By using Gmail straight in the browser instead of relying on Apple Mail, I am able to integrate with other Google products, such as contacts and calendar, rather than the Apple counterparts. This helps keep all of my information uniform and accesible despite the actual computer I am using.  By using this method, known as cloud computing, my information is safe from being lost due to computer damage.

Stay tuned throughout the week for more ways I’m moving to Google for [almost] all of my computing needs.