SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -
Google Inc said on Monday it is
taking the next step to make its Web-based software useful in
the real world of spotty Internet access by allowing users to
edit word processing documents offline.
The world's top Internet company said it will begin over
the next several weeks to allow users of its Google Docs word
processing application to edit documents without an active Web
connection, on planes, trains and other disconnected spots.
The offline feature of Google Docs temporarily stores
documents changes on a user's local computer. Once reconnected
to the Internet, any changes the user made will automatically
be synchronized and stored on Google-hosted computers.
"This is still early days. We're working to make more Web
applications and functions work where connections are
unavailable," Google said in a statement.
These include the ability to edit spreadsheets and viewing
or editing presentations, among other applications Google now
offers online, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company said.
Offline editing is a free feature using a technology known
as Google Gears that the company introduced around 15 months
ago to application developers to build offline features into
their own programs.
The technology already works within Google's news feed
reader, Google Reader, and applications from independent Web
developers such as task-management service "Remember the Milk,"
from an Australian-based company of the same name.
(Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Andre Grenon )
0 comments:
Post a Comment