Google did something disruptive, yet again. They just released a new browser plug-in called Google Gears that allows Web browser-based applications to work offline. It works with Internet Explorer and Firefox on Windows, Mac and Linux. There's also a developer API that allows anybody to create offline Web applications in Javascript.

http://gears.google.com/

Around the blogosphere...

• Robert Scoble has a videocast interview with the Google Gears team (the video didn't work on my machine, unknown file extension).
• Dion Almaer says this is RSS Bling.
• Artur Bergman notes that this is an open source toolkit.
• Pete Cashmore adds The first app to be “gears enabled” will be Google Reader.
• Semergence guesses that Google Gears is part of Google’s plan to take their Google Apps offline
• Ken Conley isn't impressed. Yet!
• I agree with Matt, it'll be great saving some of my Google Apps data locally, where I can always get at it.
• Lapsed Cannibal (nice nick and about storyline) says the online-only limitation has been a huge Achilles heel for the web app industry so far, and one of the major reasons that Google Apps — in its current form — has no chance of even denting Microsoft’s dominance in the office wars.
• Marc says that Gears is a game changer (hat tip Scoble).

Update: I figured out how to view Scoble's video online (and embed it).

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