TechCrunch covers the new release of Google’s Gmail Labs here and here:
“Gmail Labs is essentially a stage for Google employees to develop new features for Gmail under the public eye. Starting at 6pm PT tonight, all Gmail users in the US and UK will see a new tab in the settings area called “Labs”. The tab will show a selection of beta features, such as “Pictures in Chat”, which (unsurprisingly) puts portraits in chat sessions, and “Mouse Gestures”, which allows you to navigate Gmail using mouse gestures.
Fabulous – I really like this approach of a really early push of rough features out to users and getting them to use and feedback…
I’d like to see them extend this even further and just list the _ideas_ they have for upcoming gmail features, and enable people to vote on them, and refine the idea.