Google Launching GMail Labs Tonight

Tonight GMail, the e-mail division of Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is launching GMail Labs with 13 new features.  The event hosted today by the GMail team is dubbed “the next evolution of 20% time.”  GMail users and developers will be able to modify the look & feel of GMail when they login. 

GMail has roughly 10 million+ active users.  These users will see a tab at the top of the screen at around 6PM PST today that says GMail Labs with access to the 13 features being tested.  Many of Firefox users add-on Greasemonkey and various GMail plugins to make it more interesting for them.

The 13 features include:
Quick Links (bookmarks), Superstars (additional star icons), Pictures in chat (profile appear pics when chatting), keyboard shortcuts (custom shortcut actions), mouse gestures (hold right click and move mouse left for previous message, right for next message, up for inbox), signature tweaks (place signature before quote), and take a break (locks you out of GMail for 15 minutes so you can take a break).

Only the most popular lab ideas will be integrated into GMail permanently.  If GMail locks you out because of all the application madness, there is a safe mode:
http://www.mail.google.com/mail/?labs=0

Information Source:
[1] TechCrunch: Mike and Mark’s Notes From Gmail Labs Launch by Michael Arrington

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