Well, the cold reality is that I haven't used it once.  Yep, not one single time did I need to make my Google Reader client go offline.  Wow, I was really off base when I wrote about how cool it would be in Web Apps Gone Wild.  In that post, I got into a little discussion with Lazy Coder about how useful going offline is.  Well, I was TOTALLY wrong and he nailed it when he said it's not as useful as it seems.

The truth is, I have not found myself in many situations where I was without an Internet connection.  When I was without connectivity, I hadn't "remembered" to hit the little arrow on my Google Reader and sync down to my laptop.   

Now, I don't want to undermine the achievement that frameworks like Gears.  I have been exposed to some business applications in my career where it would have been useful for that capability.  I'm thinking Sales Reps here, where they are on the road and off grid frequently, it would be useful for them to work locally and connect with the mothership later at night in their hotel room.  I'm realizing now that it is edge cases like this that fulfill the needs of the few, but the important few.  For the average Joe like myself, I don't need it.