Hot off the news and into your computer. Google just made available Google Gears (BETA). It’s “an open source browser extension that enables web applications to provide offline functionality using JavaScript APIs.” These include:

• Store and serve application resources locally
• Store data locally in a fully-searchable relational database
• Run asynchronous Javascript to improve application responsiveness

Imagine web applications continuing to work while you’re offline. Lo and behold, there’s an “Offline” link in my Google Reader. Apparently, it’s the first Google service that can be ported through Gears. It’s currently available in BETA for Windows, Mac, and Linux for IE and Firefox. I can’t wait to have the other applications work offline. Increased productivity all around!