Google takes the 'oops' out of email

Adding to its arsenal of features that can save you from yourself, Google is launching a Gmail Labs feature called "Undo Send", which lets users abort the sending of Gmail messages.

Other user-preservation features already available include Gmail's capability to watch for words like "attached" in the body of an email and to alert the sender if there are no attachments to the message; and a feature in Google Apps that puts orange borders around the names of email recipients outside of the business - to ensure confidential information is not sent astray.

Also, last year Google launched the "Mail Goggles" Labs feature that prevents users from sending emails during the small hours of the morning unless they pass a simple maths test - designed to prevent drunk emailing.

Undo Send can prevent mistakes such as pressing 'reply all', when it should have been 'reply', or to recall an email that was sent in anger - as long as the button is pressed within five seconds.

Google product manager Keith Coleman said five seconds was an appropriate compromise between the ability to recall a message and the need to prevent lag from entering email conversations. "Adding a delay could be potentially frustrating," Coleman said.

Coleman said there's an option to increase the time window to 10 seconds, adding: "We may decide to add longer options."

Original article: Take it back: Gmail gets 'Undo Send' Labs feature from CNET News.com