You've got to give Google credit for coming up with user-friendly features in its Gmail application.
Last fall, of course, Google
unveiled a tool called "Mail Goggles" to help Gmail account holders sending emails late at night on weekends, when there's a chance they might not be in full control of their faculties or judgment. Goggles requires you to solve some simple math problems before the email can be sent, just to make sure you're firing on all cylinders.
Now the search giant realizes Gmail users may need help restraining their poorer emailing impulses 24/7, so it's come out with
this:
A Google post unveils a new service, "Google Undo Send" which allows
users to unsend e-mails they don't want delivered within a five second
window.
We've all been there. After an upsetting email
from a boss or a significant other, you reply back without a breather.
Instantly you regretting hitting the send key, and you realize you want
your words back. "Undo Send" has the ability to recall e-mail as long as it is done within five
seconds (with an option to increase the unsend time window to 10
seconds).
Not bad. In fact, a friend of mine told me yesterday that he had just fired off a hot-headed reply to a complaining reader and immediately regretted it. Let's hope it's only a matter of time before other email platforms incorporate these kinds of safeguards.
Now if only a company could come up with a rollback feature for phone or face-to-face communications. Recession or no recession,
that idea would attract some serious venture capital.
Comment and Contribute
