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View Google Spreadsheets and Presentations Offline
Posted by Gina Trapani at 9:00 PM on April 28, 2008
If you've stored your slide deck online in Google Docs, you don't have to worry about the internet connection going out when it's time to get onstage. The big G completed its rollout of offline access to spreadsheets and presentations using the Google Gears Firefox extension/Windows application. You can't edit the sheets or slides you open offline with Gears, just view them. If you haven't given it a try yet, here's a video demo of how Gears works. Now if they'd only Gears-enable Gmail for offline browser access to your email... even with IMAP, that would still be useful.
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TechTalk WRLR 98.3FM
Posted 11:05 PM 28/4/08
interesting to watch the 2 directions coming together ... typical 'offline'd desktop apps like ms office/star office working to get online and your newer google apps/zoho trying to push into the desktop market.
I expect when they meet it will be similar to a matter/antimatter collision, but involving more tubes. :)
TechTalk WRLR 98.3FM
njguy
Posted 10:06 PM 28/4/08
The video shows how in fact you can edit your Google docs offline using Google Gears. Then, the next time you connect to the internet, Google Gears updates your online documents with the changes you made offline.
njguy
Reilaos~
Posted 12:18 AM 29/4/08
@njguy: I was about to say that this is what I'd really want for an offline Docs program.
Awesome. Thanks muchly.
Reilaos~
GA TechWriter
Posted 1:03 AM 29/4/08
I just went to docs.google.com and logged in - yep, I have the Offline option. I downloaded and installed the Google Gears app and the following happened:
1. The software installed but I need to restart Firefox (no big deal)
2. Spybot-SD detected something it suspected was spyware - I overrode it and allowed Gears to install.
3. After restarting Firefox, I clicked on the Offline link again and was asked if I wanted to synch my docs to work offline - clicking Yes popped up another Spybot-SD modification which I also allowed.
4. It works - I disabled my wireless card temporarily and was able to open and edit a Google Document offline.
Very nice feature and one more reason I like to use GoogleApps whenever possible.
GA TechWriter
goodywitch
Posted 2:35 AM 29/4/08
I just thought it was funny that zoho was using google gears before google did for its docs...or am I wrong?
goodywitch
nka
Posted 3:49 AM 29/4/08
Doesn't work on FF3b5, anyone get this to work with FF3b5?
nka
Cheekyal
Posted 8:41 AM 29/4/08
Doesn't work on FF3b5 for me either :(
Cheekyal
Dave Kaufman
Posted 6:44 AM 2/5/08
I used Lifehacker's article in my Illustrated How to install Google Gears for Google Docs.
Thanks Lifehacker. Always great content here.
Illustrated Guide below...
[www.dkworldwide.com]
Dave Kaufman