Cool Mom Tech

One huge redeeming quality I find in people is when they can poke fun at themselves and not take the world too seriously. It's even more fun when a technology company can do the same. If you're a Gmail user and haven't taken advantage of that little tab up top that says Gmail Labs, you're missing out on a whole lot of fun. To access Gmail Labs, just click on the settings tab (the little gear icon in the top right corner and select labs. Here you can customize your entire email experience, complete with fun, practical, and often very helpful add-ons to add more joy to your inbox. Here are a few favorites: - Undo Send: You're forwarding the last email from your boss with a snarky comment about him to a friend. But you accidentally hit "reply" instead of "forward." Yikes. The all-time greatest invention in email to this day, is Gmail's Undo Send option, which lets you quickly take the email back and stop it in its tracks--provided you realize your error within 30 seconds. - Canned Responses: Anything we moms can do to save time, we do. Canned responses let you formulate form letters basically, that you can easily send out at the touch of a button. Try: "Please don't send me any more chain letters ever again." Or "I appreciate your effort in contacting me. I will be sure to review your information and respond expeditiously should I have any questions." That's what all your responses sound like, right? - Don't Forget Bob: If you have a group of friends or co-workers you email all the time, this feature will suggest names whenever frequently contacted people are included in the To: field. - Got the Wrong Bob: Speaking of Bob, if you've got two friends with the same name, this lab will alert you and make sure you're sending it to the right recipient. Keep in mind that Google prefaces the Labs section by saying that these experimental features may "change, break or disappear at any time." Although I really hope that's not the case for Undo Send. Do you have any Gmail Labs features you adore?