What does Google Really need on the iPhone?

(After typing that title, I have officially added iPhone to my writer’s dictionary.)

Google has been optimizing applications for the iPhone for awhile now. Many people feel that it’s RSS reader is superior to any application they can find, and I’m pretty sure that many people prefer the Gmail interface to the iPhone’s built in mail functions. But I think one thing that Google is missing, is something that it created it’s own browser just to get: Google Gears.

 

How much better would Google’s applications be if you could not only run them offline, but when you were reconnected, it would sync up with the rest of your data? 

Also, think about simply the performance benefits. You could waste less time and battery by simply getting everything except the data straight out from the iPhone’s memory, and I’m sure that everyone could spare the space. Other’s applications would also benefit from having Google Gears. If Social Networks that didn’t want to create an app store application, could be twice as fast using Google Gears, I think it would both benefit the developers, not having to move all that data around, and it would benefit the user, because their iPhone wouldn’t have to do all that processing.

With the implementation of Gears, you also appeal to the large audience of iPod Touch holders. Currently, if you own an iPod Touch and you want to use a Google Application, you have to be connected to the internet. By installing something like Gears, you suddenly break that barrier completely, making a wider audience of mobile users.

Now, it would probably take a lot of effort to get it integrated into the iPhone. It might not EVER happen! But, I think that other Smartphone developers could also take this into consideration. If you could give Web Developers the ability to, without any installation, create an application that could store data on the phone just like a regular application, you would make a lot of people really happy.

I will also just take this chance to point out that I think all of Google’s Web Applications should be turned into App Store applications, that can be used offline.

What do you think? Should Google Gears be installed on future smart phones?