Mike Chambers posted some awesome news today. This is a big step for Apollo and a much needed feature. The Apollo Beta (to be released "sooner rather than later") will include an embedded SQLite database to aid in the creation of occasionally connected Apollo applications.
I'm anxious to see how the developer will be able to interact and admin the embedded database. Will Adobe provide tools to manage the database? Or will the developer be able to connect to the database with a third party admin tool somehow? Time will tell.
Mike also noted that the team at Adobe is working to align the APIs of the Apollo DB and Google Gears. Google Gears is a project that uses SQLite "to allow browser based applications to work off line." To me, this approach seems less practical than having a DB built into Apollo. Off line browser based apps would be a usability nightmare for most users. Maybe nightmare is harsh, but it would certainly be a less intuitive experience than having a desktop app that just works off line...
