Off-line with Web 2.0 apps?

While Web 2.0 applications (software that runs in your web browser) may be the future of law office computing, the primarily shortcoming is the current inability of those programs to work and access your data when you don't have an Internet connection.  Web 2.0 application providers appear aware of this shortcoming, and are beginning to offer solutions. 

Google is probably the best-known purveyor of Web 2.0 applications with its Google Apps suite.  Recently it released its Google Gears API that will eventually lead to the ability to copy your data to your local PC, work on it while off-line, then seamless sync your data back to its on-line repository.  So far, this ability to work off-line is limited to the Google Reader RSS application.  But once it expands to the full Google Apps suite, we could see law office users more willing to try Web 2.0 apps.  This will also depend on the ability of Web 2.0 application providers to assure security and confidentiality of a firm's data.