Leave it to Google. They recently launched the Offline application, which allows users of Gmail (and TUmail, intrinsically) to browse e-mail without an Internet connection.

You can read, search and star messages and even download attachments like you would with your Web-based TUmail. You can’t immediately send messages (yet), but you can compose them and Google will send them as soon as it picks up the slightest bit of Internet connection.

To get TUmail Offline, make sure you’re using the most up-to-date version of your browser and follow these steps:

1. Download Google Gears. (It’s what bridges the gap between the Web and your desktop.)
2. When logged into TUmail, click on “Settings” and then the “Labs” tab.
3. Enable “Offline” and click “Save Changes.”
4. TUmail will reload and a new “Offline” tab will appear in the upper right-hand corner. Click it. You will then be guided through the synchronization process, which could take as little as 15 minutes to an hour or so, depending on the amount of e-mails you have stored.

Voilà. A TUmail icon should appear on your desktop, allowing instant access to all of your electronic mail, regardless of how few wifi4owls bars you’re picking up.

For an in-depth look at the inner-workings of Offline, check out Gmail’s Blog.