Google Gears

Slashdot is reporting that Google has released a new technology called Google Gears. I headed over to check it out...

So currently it is released as a beta. The product boasts that it can:

1) Store and serve application resources locally.
2) Store data locally in a fully-searchable relational database.
3) Run asynchronous Javascript to improve application responsiveness.

So it is touted as a "browser extension" that allows web sites a developer creates to be viewed offline.

So the database technology is actually just SqlLite. The "Local Server" is the seemingly key piece of software that allows you to view your web sites offline (i.e. without network connectivity). This is potentially quite handy for perhaps security sensitive apps.

I intend to investigate this a little more and will make another post after some decent hands on exposure. Google rarely release something to the market that doesn't have broad innovative goals in mind. This one could be easily dismissed as unnecessary , but I have a feeling that after a bit of a play this might be something potentially powerful.