The concept of a web-based application is appealing; a user can access the application and his documents from any computer located anywhere—as long as he has an Internet connection. The concept loses appeal when a user doesn’t have an Internet connection handy and thus can’t access his application or documents.

Google Gears, then, turns an exclusively web-based application into a fulltime online/offline application. Not only does the application work without an Internet connection, all the user’s offline work is stored in a local database and then synched to the web-based versions when the user goes back online. It’s a perfect solution to the online/offline dilemma.

As a developer, it’s worth your time to add Gears functionality to your web-based applications. It doesn’t cost you anything but time and a little learning; you supply the time, and Google will supply the documentation and tutorials on their Google Code Gears website.