Download content from Google Docs so
you canwork on file s offl ine
Elephant is a lot like Evernote, but without
the onlineelementsDownload feeds from websites to view
their latest content offl ine
Kiwix lets you download the whole of
Wikipedia to browse offl ine42 16 - 29 October 2019
Downloadweb feedsto read
offline
RSS feed readers aren’t as popular as
they once were, but they’r e still a grea t
way to view the latest stories from
multiple sites. The ad-suppor ted RSS
Readerfor Android (bit.ly/rssread486)
is a simple, clean readerthat lets you
download your feeds with a single tap,
including images , so you can catch up
on them later without an internet
connection. You needto enable this
option in Settings.
On an iPhoneor iPad , you can use
Newsify: RSS Reader (newsify.co), which
does the samething, including cachin g
imagesso you can view them offline.
Downloadthe wholeof Wikipedia
The popular online encyclopaedia is
hometo a vast numberof in-depth
articles and will keep you informed and
entertained on even the longestflight.
The official Wikipedia Android and iOS
apps (bit.ly/wiki486) let you download
articles of interest for offline reading.
Alternativ ely, Kiwix (www.kiwix.org)
lets you download a full copy of
Wikipedia for viewing on Windows,
macOS and Linux computers, or an
Android or iOS device. The full English
language version of th e site is a
whopping 78GB (without videos) and
can be downloaded directly from the
Kiwix website or using BitTorrent.
There are other smalle r collections
available to download, including a 14GB
version without photos, and ones
covering specific topics such as movies,
histor y and computers.NOTES & DOCUMENTSSometimes it’s obvious whena
sitehas been knocked offline,
because the error message will
tell you it’s a problemattheir
end. For instance, if the siteis
protected byCloudFlare –asa
growing number are –you’ll be
told there’s anissue and given
the optiontotry for alive
version.But if the sitedoesn’t
loadand there’s nomessage
beyonda generic‘timed out’ or
‘no route tohost’, you won’t knowwhetherthe problemisdue tothe site
itself, yourconnection oryourDNS(Domain NameSystem).
Assumingothersites loadjustfine, you canuse services suchas
DownDetector (downdetector.co.uk) or Downfor Everyone
(downforeveryoneorjustme.com) tosee if a sitereallyisoffline orif it’s justa
problemfor you.If it’s the latter, try accessing the siteina different browser
or ona different device, rebooting yourPC, phone orrouter, ortemporarily
disabling yourantivirus software. It’s alsoworth checking thatyourPCis set
tothe correctdateand timebecause this can cause problems, too.CHECK IF A SITE IS REALLY OFFLINEDownloadfiles fromGoogle Docs
Like most Google services, Google
Docs, Sheets and Slides are designed to
be used online. Everythingyou needto
edit and collaborate on your files is
provided in your browser, but if you
needto work on a file without an
internet connection, you can download
a copy of it to your computer. Go to File,
Download andselect the format you
require. Word proc essor documents ca n
be saved in Microsoft Word and
OpenDocument formats, RichText, PDF,
Plain Text, Web Page orEPUB. Google
offers a Chrome extension (bit.ly/
docsoff486) that lets you use the web
service when offline, bu t people using it
have reported mixed results.Access all your notesoffline
Many powerful note-taking services
stor e your notes in the cloud so you
can access them from anywhere.
Evernote (evernote.com) keeps a
local copy of your synced notes and
notebookson your PC but, ona mobile
device, only the notes created on it are
stor ed there. Otherwise, all you’ll see
are note titl es, tags and snip pets of
text. You can get aroundthis by
setting up offline notebooks, though the
feat ure is only available in the paid-forEvernote Plus and Premium versions.
If you’d rather use an offline-only
notes tool, then consider Elephant
(bit.ly/ele486). It’s available for
Windows, macOS and Linux (but not
Android or iOS) and offers much of th e
samefunctionality as Evernote, without
the online elements.